good evening americans. let's get to work, not war. >> well, clearly, members tend to reflect their constituents. >> the overwhelming number of americans who stood up and said, slow down, allowed this possible solution to take shape. >> members tend to reflect their constituents. >> i know americans want all of us in washington, especially me, to concentrate on the task of building our nation here at home. >> it is literally beyond my comprehension how we could not get one republican vote in order to put millions of people back to work. >> well, clearly, members tend to reflect their constituents. i want to repeal the law of the land. is that clear? >> the political conservative movement in america understands one thing.

power. >> the members tend to reflect their constituents. and so i think it's critically important that when the president goes out on behalf of the american people -- >> putting people back to work, educating our kids. growing our middle class. >> the members of congress do everything they can to be supportive of him. ♪ we could have had it all >> good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. focus. what does this word mean to you? in the workplace, if the boss came to your desk and said you're not focused, what does that mean? pay attention to what you're doing, get your ass in gear, be productive, wake up? focus. what does it mean? can we get focus as a country. is the congress focused? do you really think these guys are focused on what's going on in your life and what's best for you? this is why the congress has an

approval rating that's in the toilet. and it isn't coming out any time soon. do you really think they're focused and do you really believe what boehner says when he says most of the members of congress reflect the views of you, the american taxpayer? how do you get somebody out of a rut? i'm going to give you a little bit too much information tonight. the five years we've been living in new york, i've found this store down in soho, and i just love these shoes. they're kind of -- you know, i can wear them kind of dressy, they're comfortable and they're casual. it's all rolled into one. what's going to make me not buy these shoes in the soho store in new york city, i've bought about ten pairs of these things. i'm comfortable! i don't have to move -- i'm going to buy another pair of shoes, just like these. because there's no ramification if i don't. it's like an old shoe. it's like an old shoe to oppose

obama on everything. it's like an old shoe to just say, i'm going to do the same thing over and over again. well, that's how we are as americans. we get comfortable and we don't move. but let me ask you this. who is focused? president obama is focused. even in the midst of this debate on syria, president obama hasn't forgotten the core issues that matter to you, the american people, the taxpayer, and what matters to this country. >> i know that after the terrible toll of iraq and afghanistan, the idea of any military action, no matter how limited, is not going to be popular. after all, i've spent four and a half years working to end wars. not to start them. and i know americans want all of us in washington, especially me, to concentrate on the task of building our nation here at home. putting people back to work.

educating our kids. growing our middle class. >> okay. can i have that picture of boehner and mcconnell one more time? i'm not done with these guys. yeah, boehner and mcconnell. that's who i want to see up here. are they focused? we have some 30-something sons and they're in this thing, fantasy football. and they watch the nfl games with their computer open. i mean, they can follow like ten games at once. what running back scores this point, what wide receiver caught that, what quarterback is doing this, what team -- focus. i would like to see these guys focus like the 30-somethings out there. i wonder if they can multitask and do it. oh, come on. try it. i wonder if -- well, i know this guy plays a lot of golf. so he's probably focused on the next tee time. but they're not focused on what you want as americans. president obama still going to go through the motions. he wants congressional approval

for a strike. the strike, you know -- he still wants all options on the table. but the president still knows what the american people want. even republicans know what the american people want. but they are going to wear the same pair of shoes every day. americans don't want war. we don't want it. we've had enough of it. they want investment here at home. they want jobs, they want infrastructure, they want health care. they want education investment. and a whole host of other issues that republicans have done what? they have relentlessly blocked in every effort they possibly can, to defeat this president on these issues. they're not focused. they're only focused on defeat. obstructing this president is what republicans do very, very well. they score high in that. republicans are even blocking the president on striking syria. isn't this strange? the latest whip count from the "washington post" is rather

staggering, i think. out of the 233 republicans in the house, 185 are no votes or leaning no. there are 40 who are undecided, but only 8 -- what? only eight republicans want to strike a bad guy? you mean, he's better than saddam hussein? i have never known the republicans to turn down a good war. but if it makes president obama look bad, hell, they're all for it. republicans claim they are against the war. here's the catch. because the american people don't want it! >> the senators i've talked to are receiving very negative comments from their phone calls from the constituents. >> clearly, members tend to reflect their constituents. the american people have not been supportive. >> not one member in my district in south carolina or the e-mails of people that have contacted my office say go to syria and fight this regime. to a letter, they say no.

do not go into syria. >> the overwhelming number of americans who stood up and said, slow down, allowed this possible solution to take shape. >> so are they focused on what they're hearing? the latest polling shows that 58% of americans are against a strike while only 33% of americans approve of it. here's the issue that i think we need to grasp. it's not about the war. it's not about your phone calls. it's about them and it's about them getting re-elected. they bank on the will of the people when it's going to favor them. but you know what? there's a ledger out there of consistent voting by republicans that say that they're not focused on you. and all of those sound bites are nothing but a bunch of bs. earlier this year, let me give an example. 91% of americans supported expanded background checks for gun purchases. 91%? that's nine out of ten phone calls to a congressional office.

they voted it down. 71% of americans supported minimum wage increase. in fact, there are some republicans who want to get rid of the minimum wage all together. republicans blocked that. 60% of americans favored the buffett rule. the bill would have mandated a 30% tax rate for people with incomes over $1 million a year, but the republicans, despite 60% of americans, want to get -- they nailed that too. 73% of americans want to end workplace discrimination for gay people. john boehner said he hasn't fought enough about the employment nondiscrimination act. he spends more time worrying about his next tee time than he does the american people. in 2011, 63% of americans supported president obama's what? american jobs act! well, they haven't gotten any phone calls on that, have they? probably not. 74% of americans said they wanted to ditch big oil

subsidies. eliminate them. you know what congress did? they trashed that too. they trashed the repeal big oil subsidies act and favored the corporations again and again. and finally, last year republicans blocked the veterans job corps act? who the hell is against the veterans? the republicans. who would be against helping veterans? republicans. after republicans are siding with public opinion on syria, now that they have broken through and they have revealed to us they've gotten all of these phone calls, that they don't ever want to go against the american people, and they want to be right in line with their thoughts, and how to run the country, now that they've revealed themselves, i don't ever want to see another damn republican come out in opposition of a bill for the american people that polls very positively. the game is over. this syria vote should be a major wake-up call to every american that these people are -- i can't swear.

but if you listen to me on the radio every now and then you know i can get carried away. hold their feet to the fire. make them accountable. there's a lot of talk about, whoa, we've got to keep, you know, this guy assad. we've got to keep him accountable for his actions. what about their actions? can this guy who thinks he should be president of the united states say that he will do whatever the people want? hell no. does this guy have a track record of standing with president obama, trying to help the economy? hell no. and well, he's nuts. i ain't going to waste any time on him. this is a huge domestic opportunity for things to be done at home if you are focused on getting rid of them. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think of tonight's question. will republicans ever listen to their constituents when it really matters? text a for yes, b for no to

67622. you can go to our blog at ed@msnbc.com. i love your comments. let me bring in a good friend, a warrior for the people, senator bernie sanders from vermont. good to have you with us tonight. we now see that the republicans care about phone calls to their office. senator, are republicans not voting for a strike to make president obama look bad? >> well, i think that's certainly the motive of many of them. on the other hand, ed, they are getting calls from their districts, which are saying that people are tired of war. they were lied to about iraq, they were lied to about afghanistan. we're there now 12 years. and as you have just indicated, very passionately and correctly, what the people of this country want right now is a focus on the part of the congress and the

president to start ending the collapse of the middle class, record-high poverty levels, growing income and wealth inequality in america, and most importantly, the need to create millions of decent paying jobs. and to put our people back to work. that is what the american people want. are the republicans interested in those issues? absolutely not. and you're quite right. on every significant issue facing our country, where the american people want action, the republicans are saying very much the opposite. whether it is saving social security, medicare and medicaid, asking the wealthy to start paying their fair share of taxes, doing away with corporate loopholes, rebuilding our infrastructure. the republicans are saying, no, no, no. so you're right in saying that if they are serious about listening to the american people, they certainly have not been doing that in the past. >> senator, what is the remedy to turn this around?

what do you suggest? what's the solution? >> all right. let me be very, very honest with you. and i'll tell you this. that what the president of the united states has got to do, and i've got to tell you, a lot of people are disappointed in the president in terms of this war effort, in terms of the nsa business, et cetera. this president has got to say, and be honest about it, and say, look, our country today faces enormous crises. we are moving in the wrong direction. we used to be number one in terms of college graduates. today we are number 16. et cetera, et cetera. and the reason that we are not moving forward is that we have right wing extremists who are now controlling the house of representatives, and this country is never going to go forward unless we he said right wing rule in the house. he has got to point a finger at them. he has got to work with us in coming forward with the progressive agenda. you have raised virtually all of the issues. not to mention, this is the

fifth anniversary of the wall street disaster. the need to break up our large financial institutions, to have them invest in the real economy. the issues are out there. but what this president has got to understand, he cannot be sitting down with right wing extremists and trying to talk about how we're going to cut social security, cut medicare, not raise revenue as a result of corporate tax reform. he's got to say like franklin delanor roosevelt did, that i stand with the working families of the united states, and if the billionaires hate me, so be it. he's got to draw the line in the sand. not on syria, but on the class warfare that is going on in america. if he does that, he will wake up people who have given up in the political process. the vast majority of the people, as you've just indicated, on issue after issue after issue, are on our side. they know the rich are getting richer. corporations are making record-breaking profits. wall street is doing

phenomenally well while the middle class disappears. the president has got to draw the line, stand with working families, support a progressive agenda. in that case, i think we can win and do some phenomenal things. >> senator, i don't think anybody could have said it any better. and that's where the country is right now. so in the midst of all of this conversation about these righties out there saying that, well, they're listening to their constituents, and so that's why they can't give the president the vote on to strike or the power to strike or the legal approval, whatever you want to call it to strike syria, because they're listening to the people, i think they're hypocrites if they go home and turn their back on a 70% approval rating to get a jobs package done. i mean, it just is amazing. and the only way this is going to happen is if local media people around the country hold these righties accountable. you wanted this when it was a high percentage, but you didn't want the background checks at 91%. so they're playing to the corporate world. they're praying to the people

who are lining their pockets to get them re-elected. that's what they're doing. >> that is exactly what they are doing. and that's what citizens united makes even worse. i mean, you know, ed, sometimes commentators say we are a very divided nation. and on some issues, we are. but on all of the issues you talked about, the need to protect social security, medicare and medicaid, the need to create millions and millions of decent-paying jobs. do you know what african-american youth unemployment is today in this country? >> staggering low. >> over 40%. that's a generation of kids we are leaving behind. the american people want to deal with that. they want to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. so all kinds of issues out there that bring us together. but the big money interests, the wall street guys, are on the other side. what we need is the president and congress to work together to rally the american people. >> senator bernie sanders, great to have you on "the ed show". i appreciate your time, sir.

thank you so much. >> thank you. remember to answer tonight's question at the bottom of the screen. share your thoughts with us on twitter at ed show, light it up and follow us on facebook. like us there. thanks so much. coming up, sore loser. wait until you see how anthony weiner ended his run for the mayor's position in new york city. but next, sarah palin is making an explosive claim, and she's dragging me into it? that's next. [ male announcer ] when it comes to doing what you love, more is better. that's why we designed the all-new nissan versa note, with more technology, to get you into, and out of, tight spots. and more space so that you always have your favorite stuff. and just for good measure, an incredibly efficient 40 mpg highway. so that when you're doing more, you're spending less. the all-new nissan versa note. your door to more. ♪ ♪ now you can give yourself a kick in the rear!

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into the future. a writer and a performer. ther, i'm also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone. i got sick... and then i got better. time now for the trenders. here is the ed social media nation. i'm building my own nation. it's going to be huge. we're not going to have any laws, either. you have decided it. we are reporting. here are today's top trenders voted on by you. >> jeb and i are not just

renewing a tradition of bipartisanship. we're keeping up a family tradition, as well. >> our number three trender. presidential review. >> this is not the first time that a clinton and a bush have shared this stage. >> hillary and i come from different political parties and we disagree about a few things. but we do agree on the wisdom of the american people. especially those in iowa and new hampshire and south carolina. >> two potential 2016 contenders meet in philly. >> i could have been a contender. >> many of us can't wait to celebrate the first woman president of the united states. >> will we see another bush in the oval office? >> we've had enough bushes. >> the number two trender, leather in disgrace. >> i will never stop. >> i didn't expect it to be quite as big as it is. i think once a scandal starts it kind of keeps rolling. >> anthony weiner flips the bird and flops in the mayorelal race in new york.

>> we might have come up short in this campaign. but we are all unified in that fight. if you keep fighting, i'm going to keep fighting. >> and today's top trender, palin drops a bomb. >> of course there were death panels in there. there it is, the faceless bureaucratic panel. this bill was always going to lead to rationing. why wasn't there more honesty? >> the former governor's new ad uses big eddie to attack obama care. >> there are no so-called death panels. >> death panels, the lie of the year. >> just another example of president obama lying. >> cynical and irresponsible. >> deceiving the people. >> sarah palin called them obamacare death panels and she was vilified. >> many americans are in desperate need of health insurance. it is literally a matter of life and death. ♪ ooh barracuda >> joining me now is dr. kory aware, ceo of black health tv.com and professor at the

health sciences center at lsu. doctor, great to have you with us tonight. i want to get right to the chase. where are these death panels? if they're there, tell me. if i'm lying, if i'm wrong, you've got to straighten me out. i bear all soul here. where are these death panels? >> let me tell you one thing, okay? sarah palin has always confused. she probably thinks she can see obamacare from her backyard like she can see russia. it's ridiculous. there are no death panels. there never have been any death panels. but let's be crystal clear here. there is an independent payment advisory board that is appointed to give recommendations on how to improve access. and eliminate waste. so that's good for everybody. and the recommendations actually must be approved by congress. and they can be vetoed by the president. that's not a death panel. that's a good thing. and those recommendations never, ever governed care. and i speak fact. not fiction like palin. because that's page 426 and

section 3403 of the affordable care act. >> so they have taken the advisory board as the death panel. >> exactly. >> and this advisory board as technology in medicine and technology in medical services and providing medical services changes, we treat cancer patients differently today than we did ten years ago. >> exactly. >> so this is -- what is the best care for a person with a certain type of illness. it's not trying to cheap them out of the system. it's an effort to make sure that they get the proper care. or am i wrong on that. >> no, that's 100% correct. and then with the affordable care act, there will actually be mandates so that the patients will actually be seen in a timely fashion, and the doctors will be paid on how great their care is, as opposed to how much -- how many patients they see. i mean, let's think about this. right now, i mean, they have a decision on whether your claim is approved. and that will always be up to

your insurance company. that decision will never be mandated by obamacare. but with obamacare, at least now you have an appeals process so that if the claim is bad, then you can fight it. that's good for everybody. and once again, that's awesome and i'm speaking fact, not fiction. that's page 42, section 2719 of the affordable care act. i bring all fact, ed. that's all i bring. >> all right. well, how is this affecting the public? what are you hearing? these constant lies they put out there, now they're making an investment through sara partly cloudy to confuse the people even more. >> i'll say it like this. it's a smokescreen. and all you have to do is ask a republican or a democrat, for that matter. tell me three things about the affordable care act, and they will give you one and not two. that's why it's important that you must get the information out. i mean, my job -- not a lot of people really like sarah palin will probably be watching this

program. but our job, ed, is to give the information so they can go to work tomorrow and explain this to their co-workers so we can stop this nonsense once and for all so everybody can get health care, bottom line. >> they are saying obamacare is going to cost jobs. and we have seen in several states already that premiums are starting to come down. is that going to happen everywhere? >> it should happen everywhere. obamacare is not going to cost jobs. it is actually going to create jobs. once again, once you start, you know, throwing these things out to the right wing conservatives, they are going to perpetrate this type of fraud on all the radio stations, all the television stations, all the networks. because they want things to go against obama. they do not want this to be a part of history that president obama finally got universal health care in a particular way for the citizens of the united states. and that's the bottom line. it's purely political. and you know what, it's going to happen. so they need to -- they just might as well bucklel down and just let it happen. because it's going to be a good

thing. >> dr. kory aware, good to have you on the ed show. thank you so much. coming up, a tale of two cities, the run for new york city mayor. but it's not exactly good versus evil in this story. we'll explain next. and bill o'reilly's low blow lands him in tonight's pretenders. but next, i'm taking your questions. ask ed live. coming up next. here on msnbc. um... where's mrs. davis? she took an early spring break thanks to her double miles from the capital one venture card. now what was mrs. davis teaching? spelling. that's not a subject, right? i mean, spell check. that's a program. algebra. okay. persons a and b are flying to the bahamas. how fast will they get there? don't you need distance, rate and... no, all it takes is double miles. [ all ] whoa. yeah. [ male announcer ] get away fast with unlimited double miles from the capital one venture card. you're the world's best teacher. this is so unexpected. what's in your wallet?

congestion, for the smog. but there are a lot of people that do ride the bus. and now that the buses are running on natural gas, they don't throw out as much pollution into the air. so i feel good. i feel like i'm doing my part to help out the environment. the pursuit of a better tomorrow is something we all share. but who can help you find your own path? who can build you a plan, not just a pie chart? who can help keep your investments on course, whatever lies ahead?

that someone is a morgan stanley financial advisor. and we're ready to work for you. welcome back to "the ed show." love hearing from our viewers. we should have a contest who can ask the toughest question. really put me on the spot. think about that. in our ask ed live segment tonight, our first question comes from cathy wood. she wants to know, will congress ever vote on the jobs bill that the president sent them in 2011? you know, i just don't want to give you a short answer, but i'm forced to. no. i do not think they are going to vote on a jobs bill.

as long as barack obama is in office. i really don't. maybe, maybe -- i'm giving a long answer here. maybe if the democrats were to get the house back and hang on to the senate, then i think the democrats would even go so far to do reconciliation to get a jobs bill. that's how anxious they are for it. next question is from aria. do you think the country has become closer since 9/11 or are we more divided? interesting question. a lot of conversation about this today on the radio. who are we, what are we, what do we believe in? i think there's two-fold here. first of all, politically, we are divided. there's no question about that. but as far as neighbor to neighbor, i think in many ways, what happened 12 years ago on this day has brought us a lot closer together, and i think this country has still a very strong sense of community, and i think that we could weather just about any storm. we can do it, we've done it in the past. and i think there is a real

boldness about who we are as americans. stick around. the rapid response panel is next. stay with us. i'm bertha coombs with your cnbc market wrap. the dow rose 135 points, the s&p 500 up 5. but the nasdaq was off by 4. weekend mortgage applications plunged last week by 13.5%. as interest rates matched the highest of the year. wholesaletories rose, and 16% of small business owners say they plan to hire new workers within the next year, the highest level since before the recession. that's it from cnbc. we're first in business worldwide. building animatronics is all about getting things to work together. the timing, the actions, the reactions. everything has to synch up. my expenses are no different. receipt match from american express

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welcome back to "the ed show." this is an important story for america. it's a new york story. but when you start talking about income inequality in this country, you talk about social justice and fairness, all eyes on the big city. last night new york city public advocate and two-time ed show guest, bill de blasio. i should point out he really made a turn in the polls when he was on the ed show on the weekend at 5:00. he won the most votes in the democratic mayoral primary. we won't find out until next week whether de blasio will be named the outright winner or if he will have to face the second-place finisher bill thompson in an october 1st runoff. republican nominee joe loeta, his victory speech last night made it clear, the general campaign is already in full swing. >> ladies and gentlemen, over the next two months, new yorkers will see two completely different visions for the future of our city.

i'm hearing an awful lot coming from the other side about a tale of two cities and how they want to tear down the progress that's happened over the last 20 years. this tale is nothing more than class warfare, an attempt to divide our city. >> all right. let's get right to the numbers. this is almost like a sports center broadcast now. we're going to back it up with the facts, right? it's funny, whenever you hear conservatives make charges of class warfare, well, you know that somebody is really doing something right. capture this. this is a city where almost half the population made less than 150% of the poverty threshold in 2011. so, yes, a tale of two cities isn't too far off. this kind of rhetoric signals to me that the new york business mow gulls, and, of course, the financial elite in this city, shaking in their boots right now. i think there should be a transaction tax from the boys on wall street and give us poor

folks a chance, right? that's what i think should happen. the fat cats on wall street spent 12 years under the protection of billionaire mayor michael bloomberg's business-friendly policies. they fear this guy being in office. >> i want to ask you directly, bill. if you were elected, are you going to be union-friendly? >> absolutely. >> absolutely? you mean we asked a question of somebody who was running for office and we got an absolute? he's going to be union-friendly? that means he's going to be worker-friendly. that means all these contracts in this city that are just open-ended and the deals haven't been closed, we're going to make some progress for workers. now wall street might not like that, but the people do. the folks who benefit from conservative policies don't want a union supporting unapologetic tax the rich liberal taking over the reins. this isn't just some local election, folks. this race, i believe, is a microcosm of what is taking place across this country. you know what this is? this is the 99% versus the 1%.

it's just unfolding on the biggest stage in america, new york city. joining me now, rapid response panel, author liz winsted. the grio contributor, maxwell and john walsh, salon.com. i think all three of you are kind of fired up about this. i don't have to say anything more, do i? >> no. >> can you believe that income level? liz, i mean, that is unbelievable. you talk about income disparity in this country. >> yeah. and it's also -- i work with the food bank for new york. and when one in five families in new york city have to use services of the food bank, you know, bill de blasio is that guy. people think he came out of nowhere. but when sandy happened and i was out in red hook working in red hook, i was tweeting at him, saying, hey, they need a sump pump to pump out a basement, and he would be like on it and a sump pump would show up. so he's always been somebody who lives and breathes and works for people, because he lives like regular folks.

>> could we see new york city raise the minimum wage? >> i hope so. i think the key here is there are so many people in new york that can't afford the average, which is $3,000 rent. so we need people, you know, to -- we need people's incomes to be raised on all levels, including the minimum wage. >> what about raising taxes on the wealthiest residents in this city? diplomat seem to phase anybody. >> didn't seem to phase anybody. and did well among the wealthy, i have to say that, ed. i think a lot of the wealthy, the 1%, even, know that income inequality is bad for them, bad for the city. and he had a really concrete proposal. everybody knows that our kids go to high-quality preschools, starting at age 3. and that gives these kids who already have advantages in life another advantage over low-income kids. so i think that people -- he's not just generically raising taxes. he's raising taxes on the very wealthy, and he's putting it into high-quality preschool and into after school care. for middle school kids.

so it makes sense to voters. they know that's something we really need. >> is this a microcosm of the country, do you think? what's unfolding here in new york city? could this play anywhere? >> i don't know anywhere. but it's more common than not. new york is the capital of liberalism, the laboratory of the new deal. and his appeal was to say to voters, we can be that again. we have a ginormous population, a huge tax base. we can innovate in a way that's scaleable and replicable and smaller cities can learn from what we do. he wants to do that. and, you know, i think that the ratio as we get to be a majority, minority, whatever -- whites are no longer a majority country, well, that's been true in new york for a long time. it is a little odd that this -- we've got this white mayor. but he won among pretty much all groups. >> right. >> what's a different direction? i mean, there was nearly three out of four democratic voters saying they want the next mayor to take the city in a different

direction. liz, what does that mean? >> i think a different direction is -- i think a lot of people choose to live in new york city. because they like to live with people who are different than them. they can learn from. experience. have all different kinds of experiences. and that means, you know, all different ethnic levels being able to live in the city. and have -- and have a life that is -- is a quality of life. and i think having a quality of life for people who are immigrants, who are, you know, of all different backgrounds, can live here and have it be a driving, multicullal city. >> how do we invest in housing to straighten that problem out and how big is that? >> that's a big problem. >> like i said before, $3,000 is the average rent for most people in the city. so bill de blasio talks about the tale of two cities. it's not divisive to point that out. it's divisive to have that exist as it is. and i think investing in housing for affordable housing for families is a great place to start. >> well, and i think around the time you did your great

interview with him, i also interviewed him for salon and he talked about the fact that people want to be here. real estate developers aren't going to go away if we get tougher with them. we have a finite resource, land. we have a lot of people, and that inclusionnary zoning and some things that mayor bloomberg kind of did on the margins, but neglected. and when push came to shove, if there was a requirement you build so much affordable housing, but the developer balked, ellen force that, and he wants to up the levels of housing -- affordable housing that are required with big luxury deals. so, you know, this -- real estate developers are kind of a captive audience. they want to be here. and he also, you know, was -- said often on the campaign trail, i'm not happy saying if you're poor leave new york and go to jersey city. or go to camden or, you know, leave the city where you were born, where your grandparents were born, because you can't make it here. we're going to make room for everybody. >> well, it's going to be interesting to see how it unfolds. i find it interesting that bill thompson, who almost defeated mayor bloomberg, you know, does

not have the highest percentage in the democratic primary. why did bill de blasio do so well? >> i think that bill de blasio brilliantly showed us his family and who he is. dante was a giant factor. and i have to tell you, living in minnesota and being a giant paul wellstone person, when i was in the room last night at the victory party, i haven't felt the paul wellstone energy with any candidate until i did with bill de blasio last night. >> well, and having a young son who, by -- to the -- is african-american, makes the stop and frisk thing is very, very personal. and bill thompson, while he said he was going to change and adjust stop and frisk, came out against those two bills the city council passed. you can't be -- against stop and frisk but then against these bills that the city council passed to do something about it. the mayor vetoed the council then overrode the veto. that was deadly. >> could he win on stop and frisk alone? a big part of his campaign on that and get it done? >> yes. that for me was one of the big

issues. and i think that was the opening he saw and smartly took advantage of, because it's not really -- dante's fro is outstanding, that's true. but i think if -- you know, if he had a white family, it wouldn't have mattered. >> bloomberg -- >> it's not dante, it's the issues. >> liz winsted, thanks so much. the mayor of cable news gives a low blow to little people. billow is the pretender, next. jamie to checkout.

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welcome back to the ed show. this is a story for the folks who take a shower after work. and we begin with some breaking news from the state of wisconsin. a federal judge has ruled republican governor scott walker's controversial law stripping workers of all their union rights is constitutional and collective bargaining does not violate rights. i've shown this to you a million times.

it's crystal clear and indisputable that as union membership declines, so does the middle class. right now the middle class is under attack and the income equality gap is getting bigger. 95% of the income gains went to the wealthiest americans. last year, the top 10% of earners got about half of the country's household income. those in the top 1% made more than 19%, which is the biggest share since 1928, a year before the stock market crash. and as the 2007 to 2009 recession recedes, and we continue to grow better, the rich are getting richer. make no mistake, the banks system did crumble. consumers and investors lost faith along with their savings, and many corporations went bankrupt, but president obama bailed out that sinking ship,

much to the dismay of many liberals. the claim that obama is a socialist is dead wrong. workers in the united states are now competing with low-wage labor in other developing countries. technology is replacing people and union influence, by their admission, in crisis. we as a society need to decide whether income inequality is acceptable, are we going to do anything about it? or is it just the way it is. a congressman from ohio joins me now. thanks for your time. what needs to happen? let's begin with that breaking news from wisconsin. your state of ohio overturned a republican-backed law that restricted collective bar banning rights for public workers in 2011. in today's ruling, the judge said scott walker's law still allows workers to assemble and

lets them speak. it simply doesn't allow employees to listen. what does wisconsin need to do in your opinion? >> well, i think stay organized. this is obviously a political process as well. and you got to stay organized. and we've got to reach out to those people who are not union members. they're not teachers, not firefighters, not police officers, but they're in those low-wage jobs all over the country. we've got to get those folks organized and into the political system. we saw in the last campaigns where president obama was able to win in ohio, win in which is wes because we organized and drove the vote out. this is a political operation that needs to happen, an organizational campaign if we want to transform the country. >> so this is, you think, a very key point in closing the gap between the wealthiest americans and the middle class in this country, to strengthen the middle class because this reap really, unions over the years have set the benchmark for wages and conditions in the workplace.

>> absolutely. and the more union workers there are, the more wages are going to go up. puts money back into the middle class. it will raise revenue for the federal, and state and local coffers. we've got to put together a long-term strategy. in 1980, ed, we made 15% of the semi k -- we made 50% now we make 15%. boeing employees about 170,000. we need a strong manufacturing policy. and then invest back into our infrastructure roads and bridges, but also broadband and these institutes that the president wants to develop, like the one in youngstown.

that judgmemp starts us. >> what's the solution? >> honestly, i doesn't see anything in the short term. >> we've got to take over the house, that's the bottom line. >> we've got to because these guy also continue to stall and deny obama no matter whether it's foreign policy or domestic. no matter what he say, they're going to be against it. we've got to win the house back and keep the senate as well and put together this big package. i think americans are yearning for a transformational kind of politics that obama talked about. and i think middle-aged people are ready to get involved. >> what are your constituents saying, and how are you going vote? >> i'm going to vote no. i think we're going to make matters worse. i get it.

i understand what the president is trying to argue and secretary kerry, but i think lobbing a few bombs into a powder keg is going to make things worse. we've got to stay focused on what's going on at home here. >> all right. congressman tim ryan of ohio. how's ohio going to be this year? >> national title this year. we've got an ohio coach back in ohio. it's happening. watch. you heard it here first, ed. ohio state's going to win the national title this year. >> all right. you're saying it on september 11th. we will save the tape. it's good to have you with us. thank you. and that is "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. politics with rev sharpton starts now. tonight we remember, today the country is remembering those who lost their lives 12 yea