a lot of them, a lot of them black the hardest working people in the country. gingrich is a smart guy he ought to be ashamed of himself. that is "hardball" thank you for being with us. "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. good evening americans, welcome to the ed show. wisconsin democrats have reason to celebrate, over one million signatures delivered to recall governor scott walker. americans, i think we need to pay close attention to this. this is how you fight back against citizens united. this is the ed show, let's get to work. this is what democracy looks like. the historic recall effort in wisconsin, moves to the next phase. governor scott walker is running to his cronies. >> you don't have to be a voter to sign it all you have to be is eligible to vote. you can imagine the shenanigans. >> exclusive reaction from the

wisconsin 14 and john nichols of the nation magazine. mitt romney shows just how out of touches. >> i get speaker fees but not very much. >> his speaker fees last year are seven times what the average middle classer makes. bob strom will break down his disastrous day. newt gingrich was blowing the dog whistle so hard last night, righties couldn't take it. >> a rich old, fat white guy. he was condescending to juan williams. >> the radical politics on the right wing. >> last night we told you about a plan to destroy public education in pennsylvania. tonight --. good to have you with us, thanks for watching a. day for democracy in wisconsin. the residents of wisconsin have collected nearly two million total signatures to recall six radical republicans from office in the state. the focal point of course has

been governor scott walker, his government overreach, agenda has been way too much for these middle classers to take. the governor's union-busting law got the recall drive underway. wisconsin democrats needed to collect about 540,000 signatures to trigger a recall election against walker. today, grass roots americans in the middle of the country delivered more than one million. walker isn't the only elected official who is in trouble in the state. signatures were submitted against four republican state senators including the senate majority leader and lieutenant governor. wisconsin is now home to the second most important election of 2012. the recall vote could be held as early as this spring, but many are expecting some legal challenges. walker, what is he doing? he's feeling the pressure. he ran for cover to his friends in the media today calling in to rush limbaugh's radio show. >> you're doing what you said you were going to do, what you said you were going to do is

working, and that's the last thin the left can tolerate. they can't tolerate this kind of success. it disproves every belief of theirs. i went back and checked, the story was from december 14th, the signatures of mickey mouse and adolf hitler will be counted on recall petitions targeting you as long as they are properly dated and include a wisconsin address. >> once again, rush limbaugh doesn't know his ass from third base, he has not been in wisconsin covering the story. all he is doing is reciprocal pick up of the story, hasn't talked to one person from wisconsin about this. it's kind of funny. limbaugh has tried to smear the recall effort, but over a million signatures are going to prove him wrong. now, i met with julie wells today. this is a great story. this lady is a forklift operator, hard-working wage earner, grandmother of 12. she volunteered to kick off the recall campaign in november.

say rush, have you talked to her? she said the smears won't work. >> i've spent the last 60 days looking at every one of the petitions coming in our office in jefferson county, and i wasn't finding mickey mouse or hitler or anything like that. if he can find half of these signatures to be invalid, i wish him a lot of luck possible. >> this is a hearty day, what is the mood in wisconsin? >> it is a day of celebration. people will be out in the streets partying, they don't care that it's snowing. we had worse weather than this and we were gathering signatures. >> this is what a recall looks like. 3,000 pounds of signatures in the back of a pick up truck, a rented u-haul guarded by guards. in the middle of winter in a snow fall. it won't stop folks in wisconsin. residents of the state believe

that their state was basically going in the wrong direction, they are making a strong political statement for the country to see what they box after box after box effort in this rented u-haul. talk about organization at its best. these folks have not given up. it may be the most grass roots thing in american politics that we've ever seen. compare this to governor walker's support. he already banked more than $5 million to fight this recall campaign last year. nearly half of that money is from out of state donors. he was in new york raising money to save his hide. bob perry, the same guy who spearheaded the swift boat veterans television ads against john kerry back in the day. walker was grabbing more money in new york at a fundraiser hosted by the founder of aig. while the governor was getting the cash, i was talking with the people who made this moment

happen. if it wasn't for the wisconsin 14, those senators who drew attention to the injustice of walker's legislation last winter, we might not be here tonight. i spoke with three of the wisconsin state democrats today. >> three senators have been on the forefront of this fight to recall walker, chris larson, kathleen winehout and fred, they have seen a lot of things happen. chris, what does it mean to have this number of signatures. if you look at what happened in california, far beyond what they did with gray davis you're at 24, 25% of the electorate, what does it mean? >> it's huge. they had twice as long in california. this is history in the making. you have a million people from all different parts of the state, stepping up to say they want to see a governor, a new governor who will bring the state together. this guy is dividing us. that is what this says. this is history. >> kathleen, this goes beyond the wisconsin borders, doesn't it?

what is the message here in. people around the state and country have been worried about citizens unite and what happens when you put money in politics. what we're seeing here in wisconsin is something proving to be far more powerful than money and that is the power of the people. this is a real grassroots effort, ed. all across the state we have seen the rural people, urban people, the suburban people pull together and say "we're going to take our government back." >> they are after workers in the middle class they should balance the budget on the backs of these people, is this a stop gap situation? >> people are looking at what is happening all across the country and they are saying this is not just about workers rights. this is about what we want our country to be. what we want it to look like. >> senator, you four generations of your family represented wisconsinites. this is a big moment. but is this the only formula that will be available to push

back against unbelievable money that will be coming in to the state? is to stay socially connected and involved? >> ed, we're going to transfer wisconsin back to the progressive, innovative state it used to be. the people of this state can offset the money against them. there will be unlimited money in this campaign but the people are signing petitions, tens of thousands every day for the last 60 days, brand new petitions have been signed. we are going to do it. >> what do you make of walker doing a media tour and the help he's getting nationally? >> well, he should be trying to cover wisconsin but it just shows he has a national agenda not a state agenda. he's promoting a agenda, fighting the working family, the middle class. he's trying to develop a national reputation, we'll change that. >> i want to highlight one of the most important thing senator risser said. what we're seeing in wisconsin is a template to fight back against citizens united.

this is one of the most incredible stories i think i have ever covered in the media in over 30 years. because the people of wisconsin have not given up. they can't take your vote, they can't take your heart, they can't take your soul. in this situation, they just can't take the enthusiasm of these people of wisconsin. this started way back in late january a year ago. they have gone through the due diligence. the 14 senators that left the state, they are still in office. of the nine recall elections that took place, five were won by democrats, two of those were replacing republicans. the bottom line here is that wisconsin is teaching this country a lesson. developing the template how to fight back against outside influence and whoever they are, wherever these super pacs come together and however they drop the money in the state, they can't stop the middle classers of the country and wage earners once they mobilize and get together. listen to what scott walker, you

have to understand scott walker is going to go out and get his support out of state. he has got people in the state of wisconsin support him as well. this isn't going to be easy, nobody will come out and wave a wand and he will be gone as governor. that is what is so cool about story with the people of wisconsin they know this is only halfway there, they want to go the distance. listen what walker said to limbaugh and the under a ration they had back and forth for a few seconds on his program today. >> people have seen no matter how many attack ads from the big government union bosses the bottom line is the reforms are working. >> so they are living the reforms that you made. they are demonstrable. >> reform, lets talk about reforms. it's easy to reform when you take a billion dollars out of public education. is it reform when you give corporations more tax cuts? is it reform when you give the wealthiest wisconsinites more of a tax break and take it out of the hides of the hard-working people in the country?

you go after the health care, you go after their pension, you go after their wages, and in this case, they went after their voice. the birth place of collective bargaining in this country is wisconsin. this is where the buck stops. it will stop on walker's desk and all these others that they have got signatures to get rid of. limbaugh doesn't have a clue. limbaugh has no clue what is going on in this state. fox news has no clue what is going on in the state. i've been on the ground with these folks and i know they are going to get this done because they care about the next generation. this is the unselfish state. now, walker will get out there and talk about voter fraud. voter fraud? you will hear about adolf hitler and mickey mouse and everything else, let's count the votes. because they need 540 signatures. let's see if they have them. let's see if walker is on the wrong side of the issue again and again. and let's see how this all plays out. there is no voter fraud problems here.

there will be a few signatures but it won't be anywhere near as widespread. the fact that you have got 25% of the electorate signing on to get rid of these radicals who want this agenda to stomp on the working folk of america, underscores exactly the passion of these people. they only had 7% of the electorate signed on when they recalled gray davis. you're watch history, folks. no where in this country have this many signatures been put together to recall as many elected officials in a state. only two governors in the country's history have been recalled, one was in north dakota in the 20s, and of course gray davis to schwarzenegger. the key here is to get the victory to get rid of walker, because if walker wins, it's only going to give other radical republicans the idea they can win anywhere. if they can win in the birth place of collective bargaining in the middle of the country they will feel like they can win

anywhere. remember one things, wisconsinites they can pour millions of dollars, they can't take your vote, they can't take your heart and your passion. get your cell phones out i want to know what you think. tonight's question, will grass roots efforts like the one here in wisconsin overcome citizens united? text a for yes, b for no, 622639. go to our blog at msnbc.com. coming up, mitt romney the guy just can't help himself. he admits his effective tax rate is close to 15%, and he has a funny idea about how hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees is really not that much. newt gingrich is labeling barack obama the food stamp president. michael dyson and joy-ann reid will weigh in. lots more and a story out of ned more support.

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coming up mitt romney says over 300,000 dollars in speaking fees isn't a lot of money? bobs joins me to tell how out of touch mitt romney is. some good news for the chester upland school district in pennsylvania. a story we brought you last night, we'll go back to it because there is a major development. we'll tell you about that later in the show. share your thoughts on twitter using #edshow.

welcome back to the ed show. what do we know about the probable republican nominee mitt romney? this guy has tried to tell the american people he's unemployed, he's tried to pass himself off as a middle classer, and tried to tell us that he's really worried about pink slips. today we found out more about mitt romney. his effective tax rate. >> effective rate i have been paying on is probably closer to the 15% rate than anything because my last ten years i have -- my income comes overwhelmingly from investments made in the past rather than ordinary income or earned annual income. i got a little bit of income from my book but gave that all away, and then i get speakers fees from time to time, not very much. >> good for you, mitt. romney is under pressure to release his tax returns. so here he is, trying to break

the news to the american people about how he pays a lower tax rate than many middle class americans? then he casually says the money he gets from speakers fees is not very much. but according to his own financial disclosure forms, mitt romney made $374,327 in speaker fees in one year. that ain't bad on the rubber chicken circuit, folks. that is what mr. out of touch thinks is not very much? no it's real good. the median household income in american is just $49,445. so you tell me, is he in touch? romney's speaking fees were more than seven times the median household income in this country? today, newt gingrich had fun with romney's tax rate. >> he ought to release taxes and find out whether or not it was really 15% and second, i think that we ought to rename our flat tax. we have a 15% flat tax, this will be the mitt romney flat tax that all americans could then

pay the rate romney paid, that is terrific. >> let's turn to bob, professor at new york university great to have you with us tonight. romney and his 15% tax rate, you know, there are wealthy people out there that say hey, that is the law, we'll work the system the best we can, this is the way you manage your money in contemporary times, but the disconnect and then the comment about the $374,000 in speaker fees as not being very much, how is this going to play? this is what you want your candidate to do in front of the public in front of the cameras? >> it sure isn't, but it's what i want their candidate to do. look, this guy is out of touch. not just the $374,000, this is a guy who says he likes firing people, tries to make a $10,000 bet. i'll bet when he finally releases these tax returns and you know it took him 180 words in the debate the other night to

answer that question, when he finally releases them under pressure, i'll bet he didn't pay quite 15%, that is why he's being careful to say around 15%. i'll also bet they will release the 2011 returns, because they can carefully engineer those to the needs of the campaign. what we need to see are the returns going all the way back to 2000, which is what president obama has released, because we have to find out whether or not this guy paid no taxes in some years or paid almost no taxes. right now, he is maybe the strongest republican candidate in this ridiculous field, but he's in some ways a perfect foil for the argument president obama wants to make about whose side are you on? >> you know, politicians go in crowds and they kiss babies, because they want to feel connected to people. and then this guy might do that but he goes in front of the camera and says $375,000, well it puts him in the top 1% of income earners in america, then he says it's not that much.

i mean, could something like this haunt him along the campaign trail for a long time? will he have to mop this up? politicians are in the image business, what a horrible image it would seem, what do you think? >> it's not that he's rich. franklin roosevelt was rich. john kennedy was rich, they never would have said this. they understood the needs and travails and the hopes of people. he seemed entirely disconnected from it. maybe that is because of his years of experience at bain, where in a lot of cold-blooded ways, they laid people off, took away their health insurance, did all sort of other things to turn a profit for themselves. he thinks he will explain baby saying -- bain by explaining we had some success. what about the companies that failed, even if they got a federal bail out, what about the companies where the workers lost their jobs, they went down and romney and his partners made tens of millions of dollars. there is a new poll out showing that even republicans are beginning to worry about that,

up to about 34% disapproval of his business record. that tells you it will be a very powerful issue in the general election. >> i think it gives the american people a snapshot of romney's business experience in that he's dealing with millions that he would actually come out and not realize how callous he is and disconnected by saying $375,000 is not that much. i had some speaking fees. here are more romney classics for you. let's take a look. >> well, i should tell my story i'm unemployed. a couple times i wonder wld i was going to get a pink slip. i like being able to fire people that provide services to me. 10,000 bucks? $10,000 bet? >> i'm not in the betting business. >> this guy is looking like a phony right now. he's portraying himself to the american people something that he simply is not, what do you think? >> he's revealing his real self, his real self is totally

removed, his real self is in this take over world, that is where he made his money. as i said to you before his whole campaign is a business plan, not a core of conviction. i have to say, rick santorum and newt gingrich are right about that. this guy is saying what do the republican primary voters want, i'll give it to them, i'll see if i can go out there like i took over some of these companies and see if i can take over the white house. and i think we will see more and more of this as the campaign goes on, because they have one of two choices. either he will be in a tight box where he's very, very awkward or will be allowed to go out there and say what pops in his head and what pops in his head and out of his mouth is often more revealing of his true character than the people running the campaign would like. >> i just -- mitt romney does not come off as a guy who cares about average americans. president obama does. it's the image business. it will be real interesting to see how it play out. bob, great to have you with us here on the ed show, appreciate

your time tonight. in psycho talk, rick perry is back again, this time it's for referring to u.s. allies as islamic terrorists. his moronic comment is coming up next. moderates, they are sick of the republican party's radical views, a new poll is out, and it says pretty interesting stuff. we have the numbers, joy-ann reid and michael dyson will provide analysis. we'll be right back.

it's psycho talk tonight, rick perry's back in the limelight for the second night in a row. we're going to miss this guy. during the fox news debate last night, he was asked whether he thought turkey should remain in nato. here is perry's moronic answer. >> obviously, when you have a country that is being ruled by what many would perceive to be islamic terrorists, not only is it time for us to have a conversation about whether or not they belong to be in nato but time for the united states when we look at their foreign aid, to go to zero with it. >> i want to know who on his debate team, his prep team, gave rick perry the go ahead to call turkish leaders islamic terrorists. clearly, no one explained to him the basic facts about foreign aid. the associated press points out turkey does not receive u.s. foreign aid. the united states does provide military assistance to turkey

because they are our allies. the united states radar warning system went in effect in turkey yesterday. the radar station is part of nato's missile defenses system to protect against missiles. rick perry's complete ignorance practically set off an speaker national -- international incident. turkey accused him of baseless and improper claims. the state department was forced to do damage control, saying we disagree with perry's assertion. but i think a prominent turkish columnist put it best. he tweeted "rick perry, what an idiot. but perry is not backing down. he has that texas attitude. today he stood by his statement. fortunately for rick perry and other guys low in the polls and his words don't carry much weight. but dude, you've got to take it back to the ranch. i mean it's over. you can't be doing this to other

countries around the world. calling our allies islamic terrorist, is dumb, irresponsible psycho talk. the fact is that more people have been put on food stamps by barack obama than any president in american history. >> newt was given them red meat at the debate. today he's raising money over the dog whistle. >> i'm newt gingrich, i approve the message. >> more racist letters from ron paul are released. last night we shined a light on the radical assault on public education in pennsylvania. today, the governor blinked, breaking news on the chester school district ahead.

i hope my four colleagues agreed i told you everything you need to know about the

difference between barack obama and the five of us. we think work is good. and we think unconditional efforts by the best food stamp president in american history to maximize dependency is terrible for the country. >> that was newt gingrich humoring the crowd last night, belittling president obama and millions of americans trying to put word on the table. the white house had a word for his kind of talk. >> the language that the speaker uses, these are people that president obama put on food stamps. >> you know as well as i do that is crazy. >> the facts are not on gingrich's side. the majority of people who receive food stamps are white. most of them are either children or the elderly. many food stamp recipients hey, they earn a paycheck, newt, they have a job. south carolina congressman jim clyburn called his claims

denigrating to the president of the united states and poor of the country. fox news's eric bolling trying to head the line for the gingrich team. >> what is denigrating about calling him the food stamp president? he is the leader of the expansion of the food stamp program in american history. >> simply because he also inherited the biggest economic problem we've had since 1929. if you got 2.1 million people losing their jobs in the last 90 days of the bush administration, they are going to find a way to try to eat while they try to recover from that. >> remember, the number of americans receiving food stamps now known as the supplemental nutrition assistance program, did increase under president obama. but as congressman clyburn pointed out economic conditions created by the bush administration that president obama inherited had a lot to do with it.

gingrich is taking a victory lap. here is part of his latest ad. >> only newt gingrich can beat obama. >> more people have been put on food stamps than any president in history. i believe every american has been endowed by their creator, i'll help poor people to get a better job and some day own the job. >> let's bring in joy-ann reid, and managing editor of the grio and michael eric dyson, georgetown professor. will this type of dog whistle work deep in the heart of dixie in south carolina, is this who he is or doing it for politics? >> it's both.

he will get an advantage down with the dixie crowd he will get an advantage in the deep south who don't understand that newt gingrich is really speaking against their best interests. as you've indicated the empirical evidence, most people on welfare and food stamps are white. mabel first received them as a way for the government to aid those most in need. the safety net had been shredded, depression had besieged the country, people needed to be helped. now newt gingrich is trying to tar and feather barack obama with the notion of being a food stamp president which means he's helping white americans and number two, that because of the failed policies of the bush administration, that obama has tried to address, he's had to assist other people, not leaving them to the side of the road. i think he's a compassion president, the president who has looked out and seen the need to help those who are poorest. >> here is another sound bite from last night's debate.

joy-ann i want your reaction to this. here it is. >> speaker gingrich, you recently said black americans should demand jobs, not food stamps. you also said poor kids lack a strong work ethic, and propose having them work as janitors in their schools. can't you see that this is viewed at a minimum as insulting to all americans but particularly to black americans? >> no. i don't see that. >> joy-ann, what about the crowd reaction? we've seen this at other republican debates but last night it was very proposal nen. what do you make of it? >> incredible, republican debates are where you go to find the lowest common denominator of their base. i think the strategy of doing these sort of dog whistles seem to happen when we get to south carolina, this is where john mccain head a black baby, this is where barack obama was just like jesse jackson, south

carolina is the place where the every single time. it's not advising this is the strat de egy strategy. republicans understand you want to push certain buttons that happen to be about denigrating people who are poor, raising up the ceo as a superman and making it seem like those black and brown people are taking your stuff and taking your money, so let's get their president out of the white house. >> i want to ask both of you this, and you first, joy-ann. should the obama administration, the campaign, go after this talk? challenge the republicans on this kind of talk? it's like they all think the same, nobody was countering newt gingrich last night. should this be a focal point for the obama campaign to really go after? >> i don't think they necessarily have to jump in the middle of the republican primary right now. but i think what you just said, ed, is the point. the guy who is going to be the nominee, mitt romney said absolutely nothing.

he has not refuted the kind of arguments, the really low-down arguments that try to appeal to the worst in people sort of tribal nature. he said nothing. so when we get to the general election, these kind of statements by people he stood beside on stage should come back to haunt him. >> go ahead, michael. >> i was going to say, i know strom thurmond was supposed to have a black baby, i didn't know about john mccain. in south carolina, in the greater south, the obama administration has to situate itself as an argument against this kind of vicious indifference to the poor and they need to learn from kerry, you can't get behind this stuff, you want to get out in front of the curve and talk the facts that will counteract this negative vitriol. >> i think the obama team owes it to the country and they owe it to the supporters to come out and go right at this kind of rhetoric that we know will be coming from the republicans on

the campaign trail. joy-ann, michael, stay with us we have more to talk about. good news for president barack obama going in the general election, poll numbers you'll want to see them. what is happening in pennsylvania with teachers? a new development, that's next, stay with us.

up next, new polling shows moderates heavily favoring president obama, more on that with joy-ann reid and michael eric dyson, tweet us #edshow, stay tuned we're right back.

there was a lot of radical stuff going on last night at the republican debate in south carolina, one group who seems to be turned off by it are moderate voters. take a look at the latest poll numbers from the public policy polling. in a general election match-up with mitt romney, president obama comes out on top 49-44. it's the president's best standing against romney since the death of osama bin laden back in may. what really stands out is how the president fares with moderate voters. he's doing well.

beating romney by over 40 points, 68-27. now the president's reelection campaign is laying down the ground work for major tv ad buy, los angeles times reports the campaign requested tv rates in over a dozen states primarily in swing states. the first step the campaign needs to take before deciding to purchase air time. let's go back to the panel, joined by joy-ann reid and michael eric dyson. these poll numbers, i want to ask you about the poll numbers. a snapshot in a long campaign. michael, can the president keep the advantage, what do you think? >> yeah, but you have to be strategic about it. i think the obama campaign understands if they secure the support of the moderate voters out there, those not swinging so far to the right they are listening to the dog whistles of this racist republican reactionary agenda of these leading candidates, especially newt gingrich and lesser, ron

paul, i think what happens is obama is able to situate himself as a reasonable person who is able to respond to the needs of the country. the economy is still the big deal here. even though there is question about whether or not he can handle that economy, the moderates begin to understand he inherited such a horrible situation, he made initiatives as jim clyburn said to try to really deal with the situation that he inherited and now people are willing, i think, in that light, if he makes the argument cogently to give him four more years to put this country back on the right path. >> joy-ann what about the belt, wisconsin, ohio, indiana, illinois, michigan, ohio, do you think the president would beat mitt romney in those states today because as michael says the economy is so terribly important. >> absolutely. two things that i think advantage barack obama going in the november election.

number one, 2010, in 2010 voters elected tea party governors, in several swing states. in wisconsin, ohio, in florida. now they have gotten to experience for almost two years what it's like to live under their philosophy. people don't like it. surprise, surprise, people don't like it when you cut public service, they don't like it when you don't build rail and when you don't provide jobs. talk radio is a tiny sliver. mitt romney made an error trying to run to talk radio which isn't a majority view. i think the president has that advantage. number two the occupy movement has done one great thing, it focused people on inequality. if anybody represents the 1%, it's mitt romney. so i think the president is looking pretty good going in 2012, the election. >> all right, let's look at the republican race, ron paul out today, saying that it's a two-man race between him and

mitt romney. meanwhile, a new batch of ron paul newsletter has come out. here is a quote. "we don't think a child of 13 should be held as responsible as a man of 23. that's true for most people, but black males age 13 who have been raised on the streets and who have joined criminal gangs are as big, strong, tough scary and culpable as any adult and should be treated as such." michael, your response to that? that is ron paul. >> this man, this is the super predator thinking of the 1970's when that theory came out in the early 80's that african american people were inclined, naturally gifted with an evil genius of crime. this is horrible. this is almost ripped from the headlines of tarzan meets jane, and the jungle aspect of african american culture. look at the vicious stereotypes to form a theory ron paul articulates. it's not only scary, misinformed

and if he is given power by the state to exercise his viewpoints, we're in for an orwellian future. >> joy-ann, what role do you think ron paul plays at this point? i have a feeling after saturday, everybody is going to be getting out, except maybe ron paul. he says it's a two-man race, he has the money to keep going. will this rhetoric dog the party? they are stuck with him. ron paul really is the only actual alternative to mitt romney, because the evangelical vote is split. there isn't an alternative. ron paul won't be president, clearly. what i would say, number one it will dog the republican party. what i would also say to my liberal libertarian leading friends, what more does ron paul have to have said in his newsletters for you to see there is something viciously wrong? >> that is a great question. that is it. some people are really

infatuated with his foreign policy, tax policy, socially liberal, fiscally responsible all that stuff. but if you are a decent human being and you see stuff like that, i mean where is the line in the sand going to be drawn with these people? that is the question. joy-ann rid joy-ann, michael great to have you with us. up next, pennsylvania public schools, they went around against the republican governor, tom corbett's effort to kill off an entire school district. but the fight, let me tell you something, it's far from over. two teachers fighting for their students will join me, a story we brought you last night. back with more information tonight. this is how you fight back. we're right back.

tonight our survey ed show survey i asked will grass roots efforts overcome citizens united? 92% of you said yes. 8% don't think so. coming up, financial relief for the pennsylvania school

district. so cash-strapped teachers, staff, they are working without pay. two teachers from the district join me next. there is a new development. stay with us.

finally tonight the big finish, i am happy to report a small victory for the teachers in chester, pennsylvania. who have been working for free after their school district ran out of money. we brought you this unbelievable story last night and today, just

today, the state has agreed to cough up $3.2 million, the amount is supposed to last until february, when the chester upland school board heads back to court. they are suing for $20 million after the state denied their request for enough funding to stay afloat through the end of the year. this is what happens when republicans slash budgets, and put tax breaks for oil companies ahead of children's education. pennsylvania governor tom corbett cut $900 million in state education funds last year. but budget cuts aren't the only problem. 45% of chester upland's operating budget goes to two district charter schools. well, the largest of the schools was founded by the largest single donor to tom corbett's gubernatorial campaign. even though the charter school is under investigation for test score irregularities, it's doors remain open while the public

school system fights to survive week by week and the teachers work for nothing. yes, my friends, this is america. shame fully america. i'm joined again tonight by sara ferguson a ferguson a teacher and george walker, a middle school special education teacher in the district. mr. walker good to have you with us tonight. what will $3 million more mean to your district? how long will those funds last? is this a good development today? >> it's a fair development. these funds will only last to the end of the month, just to the end of january, and the teachers are we're still working to teach our children, we come to work every day and this was money that was owed to us. >> and sara ferguson, right now

your career is in your heart and in your soul and in your dedication, and it's going to be in the hands of a lawsuit to the tune of $20 million to try to get the money out of pennsylvania. how does that make you feel tonight? >> it's just unfortunate in the united states of america that a student's address and zip code can determine their worth and their right to a quality education. and i just want everyone to know that whether we got this $3.2 million or not, the support staff, the teachers, the community, the parents, we are all committed to the students. our actions -- our commitment goes beyond words. we're prepared to show it in our actions. and in february, if we don't receive more funding, we will show it in our actions, because we will remain on the job for our students. >> george, how do the charter schools play in the problems public schools are having right now in the district?

>> well, the charter schools are the ones that are taking the money from the public schools, and definitely affects us because we don't have any money, our funding has been cut, as you see what we're facing now, trying to we come to work every day, teaching our students, we love our students, we are the role model for our children, our children love us and the parents. and it's very difficult to maintain that type of level of education when your budget has been cut, you have no money, no materials to do the job that you love to do. >> sara, the political connection with the governor and the charter schools, how does that gall you? >> you know, i don't know exactly what role this is playing with us. i don't -- that is someone else's battle. my battle is for the people on