coming up next is ed schultz, my friend, with "the ed show." good evening, americans and welcome to "the ed show." live from new york. we never shut down. let's get to work. ♪ hey hey hey hey ♪ macho macho man ♪ macho it is day two of the shutdown, there is no deal in sight, america. >> boehner, pelosi, reid and mcconnell are going to be at the white house coming up this afternoon at 5:30, to talk about this. >> well, i would say to the president, this is not about me. >> it's you and him, mano-a-mano. a macho thing. >> republicans are going to get

something out of this deal. >> they will do anything they can, because the political conservative movement in america understands one thing. power. >> they demanded ransom just for doing their job. >> look, we can be back from ted cruz. >> it was the mean old republicans. >> you know what's going to happen. he's not going to back down. it's and him. mano-a-mano. this is a macho thing! ♪ i've got to be a macho >> it's a macho thing? well, o'reilly knows everything about that, doesn't he? is good to have you with us tonight, folks. i guess we've got some breaking news right at the start of the program tonight. at this hour, this guy, john boehner, and the other republican leaders are going to be over at the white house. and, of course, the parties are going to come together, the key parties meet with the president. of course, they say the president doesn't reach out. so i don't know, maybe it's tea and crumb pets. maybe that will do it. this meeting, of course, is about the government shutdown, and it's planned for 5:30 here

in 30 minutes. and if they come out in front of the camera, we'll bring you these congressional leaders, live. you see a live shot just outside the white house right there. now, this republican-caused government shutdown which i know a lot of you are sick of already, has got all these righties just absolutely ducking for cover. republicans know, it's their fault they're trying to spin out of it, they are down playing the consequences of the shutdown, big-time. and all you have to do is watch fox news for 30 seconds and you'll figure it out. >> this is not armageddon. this is a pinprick. it is not the end of the world if there is a partial government shutdown. >> this won't be much different, neil, from when we have a snowstorm blizzard in washington. >> for most people it might be an inconvenience, you're not going to see a lot of the stuff that is happening. a lot it has to do with the national parks and stuff like that. >> there's a very limited economic impact from this shutdown. >> right. >> i don't know how many millions of dollars a day it's costing. >> maybe i'm just one of the few

people, i'm just not -- this doesn't impact me mentally. we've had 17 government shutdowns, governor. i'm not afraid of a couple weeks of government being shut down. >> whoa! tell us, sean, what does affect you mentally? isn't it interesting on fox, a guy says he doesn't -- he gives an opinion and then says, well he doesn't know. he backs it up with an i don't know what it's costing. you know what it's costing? it's costing a lot of heart ache and insecurity for a lot of americans. do they care? no. wealthy boy right here, he don't care, it's not affecting him, not mentally affecting him, of course. on top of all of this nonsense, a fox news.com headline called the shutdown a slimdown. give me an absolute break, will you? the first government shutdown in nearly two decades over this, over a law? it cannot be taken lightly. fox news is simply giving cover to their fringe republican friends, their psychos in congress, who caused all of

this. maybe fox news should be interviewing one of the 800,000 federal workers who were furloughed this week. maybe fox news should give these workers suggestions on, i don't know, how do you pay the rent when the bill -- when the bill comes and the money doesn't come in. or even maybe put food on the table. of course, sean hannity is an expert on that, especially when the minimum wage conversation comes up, always talks about beans and rice. that's his favorite on radio. these folks at fox news, well, they are well-paid, as we are we all are in cable. and republican members in congress, they're still getting paid. to them, the shutdown is no big deal. they won't feel any of it. some republican commentators even said charity can take care of you while you're being furloughed. because it's really not going to be that long. so the republican plan is, by these commentators, you 800,000 folks, eh, just go to church. just beg a little harder. that's what the republican plan

is. they just want you to beg a little harder. folks, this is more than just the panda cam going dark, if you know what i mean. the fda has suspended food safety inspections. that's a big deal. the cdc has halted flu-tracking program. of course, the flu season getting ready to start. national parks are closed. now, it's interesting how the republicans always position themselves as the lovers and the presenters of small business. there's a lot of small businesses around national parks that are going to really feel the impact, because the parks closed. millions of veterans, their benefits could be at risk, services are going to be cut, payments are going to be late. what in the hell did they do to deserve that? and, of course, the epa is operating at just 7% of its employees. you know, the guys who make sure that we have drinking water and make sure it's all safe. things that republicans apparently don't care about.

this republican congresswoman, marsha blackburn, tennessee, jumping for joy. in fact, she tweeted out, there is some good news out of the shutdown. the epa can't issue new regulations. that's all they care about. tax cuts and deregulation. and now this is a good thing that 15,000 people at the epa aren't getting paid, and blackburn, she couldn't be happier. it's the republican world. i'd like to see her give up her paycheck. don't count on it. the shutdown is just another example of the republican party being completely out of touch with average americans. republicans are living on the moon, and they often bed down at the country club, mentally, in their minds. they are shutting down the government. it's an issue of fairness for all americans? >> what our members want is fairness for the american people. >> the house is going to take a position today reflecting one

very fundamental principle that our country stands for. no special treatment for anyone. >> we need fairness for the american people. >> we believe that everyone should be treated fairly. >> we think there ought to be basic fairness for all americans under obama care. >> i'm going to tell you what. this is an issue of fairness. >> that is a founding principle of this country. no special treatment for anyone. >> yeah. no special checks coming in from any special interest groups that will cash whip the hell out of your opponent if you don't vote the way they want you to vote. no special treatment at all. their argument is a complete joke. republicans don't give a damn about fairness. and if they cared about fairness, they wouldn't put 800,000 americans out of work with a stroke of a pen while they're still getting paid. if they cared about fairness, they would want every american to have health insurance. but, of course, they have voted over 40 times to take that away.

democrats don't fall into this trap about what a nice guy john boehner is. if i've heard it once, i've heard it a number of times, from democrats to the talking heads on talk radio. i really feel sorry for john boehner. you know, he's really a nice guy. you know what, this guy has forgotten where he came from. comes from a big family in ohio. used to clean up the bar as dad was a small business owner. used to go clean up the bar early in the morning. you know what, he has forgotten where he's come from, because he is hurting the very people where he came from. the middle classers of america. so don't tell me democrats that john boehner is a nice guy. because nice guys don't do this. this is selfish, it is self centered, it is outrageous, it's unnecessary, it's for political gain, it's mean-spirited. it is all of that. nice people don't do this. and i don't believe that they

are very well-connected to the hurt that they're causing. nbc news went out and spoke to some federal employees about this. >> paid leave, yeah. it's okay if it's just a half day. but if it's weeks, that could be a serious problem. >> right now, i'm terrified. i'm terrified, to the point where, okay, what's going to happen? >> it's a mess. congress needs to get their act together. seriously. they're like kids on a playground. fighting, fighting for nothing. it's ridiculous. >> no, no, no, no! don't be frightened. you just have to learn that other f-word. fairness. you have to understand that this is what fairness is to this crowd right here. fairness is putting you on the curb with no paycheck, indefinitely. get in for the long haul, folks. these people are i'd logically driven. they have ice in their veins.

they're not going to back down. liberals must stay strong and liberals must make sure that the president knows we don't want him to negotiate at all. big meeting coming up at 5:30. if they break out and say something, we'll bring it to you. get your cell phones out. want to know what you think. tonight's question. is it nice for john boehner to ignore american wage earners for political gain? text a for yes, text b for no to 67622. always go to our blog at he had ed.msnbc.com. like us on facebook, all that good stuff. we'll bring results later on in the show. for more, let me bring in congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz of florida and also senator barbara boxer of california. great to have both of you with us tonight. >> thanks, hello to you both. >> senator, you first. do you expect anything productive to come out of the president's meeting with leadership, the way both sides have dug in on this? >> i can always hope for the

best. i think if the republicans decide that what they have done is wrong, that they have actually laid off 800,000 workinging people, that that is going to have a terrible impact, not only on those people, but on the community, that they're turning away kids who are -- who were dying of cancer and can't get into clinical trials. if they understand what's happening in small business, that rely on tourism from the parks. we have yosemite. if they realize what they have done and if john boehner starts to feel emotion -- remember he always used to cry and feel emotion? it was good. i liked that. i like when a man feels emotion. where is the emotion for all of this? it's as if all they care about is stopping millions of people from getting health care. they will not accept this election. if they have a change of heart, ed, this is the great news. all they have to do is pick up and pass the bill that the united states senate passed. it's sitting right over there. i know congresswoman wasserman

schultz wants the to see this happen. we get -- we open up this government and then we sit and talk. >> yeah. and congresswoman wasserman-schultz, why doesn't john boehner do this? i can't get an answer from anybody. why doesn't he just bring it to the floor? where is the loss for them, because they're playing with sequester numbers. they can always come back and fight another day. they have chosen to hurt americans, to get -- to make a point. that's the key here. why won't he bring it to the floor for a vote? >> they absolutely have chosen, deliberately, to hurt americans. and the reason that he won't bring it to the floor for a vote is because he has made an firm active decision to let his tea party hard liners, the extremists in the tea party, run the show. i mean, he's essentially decided, you know what, it doesn't matter that i have the title of speaker. that's really all he has left and he wants desperately to hold on to that authority. but has given it over to this hard-core group of tea party

extremists. now, senator boxer is absolutely right. all that has to happen -- speaker boehner even now knows, because about 20 republican members have publicly said that they would vote for a clean continuing funding resolution if it comes on the floor. all john boehner has to do is grow some courage and put that bill on the floor and allow the whole house to vote on it. we can send it to the senate, the senate can send it to the president, and we can reopen the government and stop hurting women and children. and -- who need nutrition. stop -- make sure little kids can go back to their head start programs. make sure that cancer patients with participate in clinical trials at the nih. this is just offensive and immoral. >> senator, how long do you think this is going to last? or is the date of the debt ceiling and this continuing resolution going to merge and this is going to go on for a number of weeks? >> i'm very worried, because unless speaker boehner relents and brings before the house the

clean funding resolution, then this thing could go on and on. and i urge the american people, whether you're democratic, republican, independent, whatever stripe you are, wherever you live, this is not the way to run the country of the greatest nation on earth. we cannot go from crisis to crisis. >> he says the american people are on his side. >> well, that is just -- made up. that is made up. >> absolutely. >> i want to tell you something. do you know, ed, yesterday we had 5 million hits on covered california.com. we had 5 million hits. we have millions of people that want to sign up for health care. this is why they're shutting down the government, in order to stop our people, their people, their constituents, from having hope. you've been all over the nation at these health fairs. people are struggling and suffering. >> i tell you -- >> we need to fix all that. >> i don't know how you can -- i

don't know how you can go to one of those clinics and not be emotionally touched by what some americans go through. it is absolutely mind-boggling, the actions of the republicans right now. debby, what about this fairness angle that the republicans are playing? what's your response to that? >> you know, my response to that and democrats' response and the house and senate as well as president obama is that what is fair is to do what we have always done throughout american history. when you have legislation that has a majority of the house of representatives and the majority of the senate and you put it on the floor, you let us vote on it, and then we send it to the president. that's -- that's fairness. what isn't fairness is denying and holding the economy hostage 150 million people in this country, like me, who have a preexisting condition. as a breast cancer survivor, what the republicans are doing is trying to deny women like me, the opportunity to make sure that we can have the peace of mind that an insurance company

can never drop us or deny us coverage. and they're willing to damage the economy, deny children nutrition, keep kids home from head start programs. >> sure. >> hurt cancer patients. it's just -- it's stunning. it's irresponsible. >> and i want to hear from both of you on this. how determined are the democrats to hold the line? there's no more negotiation. i think that's what liberals in this country want to hear right now, that this is it. this is the firewall. senator? >> well, i can report to you that we are going to continue saying the following thing. we passed a health care law three-and-a-half years ago. republicans, you better just understand that you don't get to pick and choose the laws you want to make sure go forward. it is the -- democratic process. accept this. accept this president. let's get this government running. let's pay our debts. that's our job. and move on. and that's what we're going to say. >> congresswoman, how -- tell me

about the resolve. >> the resolve -- we have nerves of steel. we are not going to let the republicans hold millions of americans' health care hostage. we are not going to allow them to try to reverse the outcome of an election. and you know what, if -- as we -- like we have for more than 200 years, we experience some kinks with the implementation of the affordable care act, let's sit down together and work those out. that's what we need to do. >> those are good kinks. those are good glitches. those are good things. you know? you open up a restaurant and some people get turned away, you open up again tomorrow. this goes on for six months. it amazes me how the mainstream media has just focused on the negative. what if only 100,000 people had gone to the website yesterday? you would be saying nobody wants it then. it's just amazing. congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz and senator barbara boxer, great to have both of you with us tonight. >> thank you. >> keep up the fight. thank you. remember to answer tonight's question at the bottom of your screen. share your thoughts with us on

twitter at ed show and on facebook. we always want to know what you think. next up, fox news spins a tale of obama care and the wicked glitch. plus, we continue to follow the breaking news out of the white house. in just a short while, the president is meeting with congressional leaders on the shutdown and the showdown. call it whatever you want. it ain't a slimdown. it's hurting folks. we're coming right back. when we made our commitment to the gulf, bp had two big goals: help the gulf recover and learn from what happened so we could be a better, safer energy company. i can tell you - safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art monitoring center, where experts watch over all drilling activity twenty-four-seven. and we're sharing what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. our commitment has never been stronger.

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we found riley at the shelter, and found everything he needed at angie's list. join today at angieslist.com picasso painted one of his master works at 56. doris taerbaum finished her first marathon at 50. not everyone peaks in their twenties. throughout their lives. passion keeps them realizing possibilities. an ally for real possibilities. aarp. find tools and support at aarp.org/possibilities. welcome back to "the ed show." all right. let's shift gears here. this is actually a sporting event. this is actually a sport show. you are looking live outside the white house where the president and congressional leaders are expected to meet shortly, both teams are on offense.

who is going to have the best defense? we're watching all the shutdown talk just outside the white house. if these guys come out and say something, we'll obviously bring it to you. what's going to happen in this meeting? well, now as a staunch liberal, there better not be any deal-cutting going on that's going to bleed into social security, medicare or medicaid. let's start there. i'm all about the debt ceiling, but if this conversation could roll, let's go big. i remember president obama back a few summers ago saying you want to go big, i'll go big. this is not the time. and i believe receipt n right nw what the president has to do is force boehner to do what he doesn't want to do. i remember boehner coming out saying, well, i've got -- i've got 99% of what i wanted. remember those conversations? no. this is not about who wins and

loses on the political front. this is about a moral stand for the american people who simply do not deserve this kind of treatment. for people to be denied, for opportunities to be put off to the wayside, for insecurity to be entering into middle class families. this is the 11th hour for the president. in fact, you could make the case that the democratic leadership has the heart and soul of the progressive movement right in the palm of their hand. and if boehner is allowed to go into that room and come away with some kind of a big deal that does -- well, let's see -- chain cpi? bull! this is about the government shutdown. this is about standing strong. this is about not backing down. this is about showing a spine. and all this talk about fairness

and the american people, i'll tell you exactly where the american people are. they think this is wrong much. and if you have got a congressional approval rating of sitting at 10%, you -- i don't know if you're in the toilet, but you've certainly located it. you can just listen to them manufacture glitches. now, at the top of the segment, i talked about sports. it's like a sporting event. you're looking live outside the white house. i think it was bill parcels, famous coach in the nfl, who said this about the media. when you win, you don't want 'em. when you lose, you don't need 'em. and that is exactly where the democrats are right now. when it comes to the media. because there are no glitches. there are no -- there are no glitches. if you opened up a restaurant

and you couldn't feed anybody because there were too many people that got in early, and you just couldn't handle the line, do you think the manager of the restaurant is going to go back and chew out the staff because the response was overwhelming? i think they would probably call that a good night at the office. but, of course, fox news and the republicans, they call that a glitch. joining me now is john feelingel sang, liberal commentator and comedian. we need some comedy right now. we need some comedy right now, is what we need, john. what is your take as you view this meeting right now? how -- is this pivotal, or are they just going over to have some coffee here? >> you know what, how terrifying is it to wake up in an america where john boehner may be a moderate now? >> spineless moderate. >> exactly. and all we hear from the right wing, all they've got right now, ed, is the glitches, right? sean hannity saying that old ladies aren't going to have ambulances coming because it

will be too long hitting the refresh button. that's like saying youtube went down and my tv repairman won't get her in time. these guys had a chance to go in and smear obama care on the first day because of a few website glitches. keep in mind, these are the guys who call sending droops into iraq without body armor a glitch. >> how do we know the administration wasn't sitting there saying, hey, there's good to be some glitches, that's a good thing. we want people nailing that website. we want people just jamming the phones. we want people on that website. >> no, no, no, ed, the fact that it's so popular proves just how unpopular it is with the american people. the great irony, this is their golden day where they can say look at these problems with the website. but because they shut down the government, now they're the gang that couldn't smear straight. >> so they're now down to counting hits on a website. that's their best argument. >> what are they going to do? the party of lincoln, not even the party of quayle anymore, ed. they lost in congress on obama care, lost with the conservative supreme court. they lost with the american voters in a national election.

they're losing the pr battle in their own government shutdown. and so now they are reduced, a once-mighty party to mocking software. >> okay. where do you see this? i think they're going to be digging in for a few weeks. i think the debt ceiling, that date, august -- or october 17th, and then, of course, when the first interest payment has to be made on the 24th. i mean, i think the republicans will take it all the way to the 11th hour with their stubbornness. maybe public opinion will play into this a little bit. but they have never paid attention to polls in the past. couldn't even get background checks at 90%, 72% don't like the shutdown. so i mean, just i'd logically, the way they have dug their heels in, i don't see them moving. there is no easy way out. boehner can get no win out of this. he is scarred tremendously, whether he brings it up for a vote or doesn't. >> he's got his own party -- he's like a fellow, they already hate him over there. you're right. they're in a really bad place. this is the party where some

members like to call struggling americans lazy. and now they're going to have to pray that struggling americans are lazy on election day, because these glitches will be forgotten, just likes republicans forget regular raising the debt ceiling. anthony weiner twerking on bath salt is at 50%. >> john, good to have you with us tonight. thanks so much. still to come, the real reason behind ted cruz talk-a-thon. i do so like green eggs and ham. thank you, thank you, sam i am. but next, i'm taking your questions. ask ed live. stay with us. we'll be right back. customer erin swenson ordered shoes from us online

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welcome back to "the ed show" "ask ed live" love hearing your questions and on twitter as well. our first question tonight comes from jd macke.

and he wants to know -- let's see here. why doesn't president obama declare martial law, since the republicans are trying to start a revolution? jd, that's kind of a dangerous question. it can be misinterpreted. so i'm going to be very careful and very precise here. this word right here means an awful lot. are we talking about a revolution as in armed people? are we talking about a revolution as in people in the street? cooler heads must prevail, and as broadcasters, i believe that we have a responsibility to make sure that we all keep our wits about us. no, i don't think that there is going to be that kind of revolution. do i think the republicans are trying to start a revolution? yeah, political revolution. there's no question about it that. this is a very revolutionary activity politically that's taking place. martial law, no. our next question is from a man who goes by the real

wulfdawg. do republicans think blaming -- president obama for the shoun is going to fly with anyone other than low-information voters? well, i think their formula is suppress the vote and motivate as many low-information voters as you possibly can. that seems to be their ticket it to try to win elections. stick around. the rapid response panel is next. breaking news. eight people are dead after a church bus collided with a truck and suv in jefferson county, tennessee. police say the bus blew a tire, causing it to cross the median, hit the suv and burst into flames. at least 12 other people are injured. interstate 40 now shut down in both directions, while police investigates. also happening now, a verdict has been reached in the negligence lawsuit against michael jackson's promoter aeg. it will be read at 6:30 eastern. ♪

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welcome back to "the ed show". thanks for watching tonight. right now, president obama is meeting with congressional leadership in the white house. he is expected to urge the house to pass the clean cr and reopen the government. on day two of obama care's rollout, it's very clear, americans are still somewhat confused, searching for information, which is normal. there's no embarrassment in that. according to the latest kaiser family foundation, nbc news poll, 51% of the public and two-thirds of the uninsured continue to say that they don't have enough information about the law and how it's going to affect their family. well, they got six months to figure it out. this should come really as no surprise. because you see, millions of dollars have been spent by republicans and special interest groups to deliberate re mislead the public.

late-night talk show host, jimmy kimmel, highlighted the confusion when he sent a team to the streets of hollywood to ask people, do you support obama care or the affordable care act? >> which plan do you support, obama care or the affordable care act? >> the affordable care act. >> and what is it about obama care you do not like? >> i just think there's a lot of holes in it, and it needs to be revamped. >> so the affordable health care act is still a better option than obama care. >> yes. >> so obama care is unamerican? >> i think it's kind of unamerican to force people -- what if they can't afford -- >> and the affordable care act is american? >> i think it's more american because it allows people to make their own choice of what they want and who they want to work with. >> so the affordable care act is more affordable than obama care? >> just the name says it all. >> yeah, just the name says it all. my friends, there is proof of the republican misinformation campaign has definitely worked. we decided to do a poll of our own. the ed team went to bryant park

here in new york city to see what people on the east coast actually know and understand. we asked, do you like obama care or the affordable care act? >> from what i heard, obama care. it gives everybody access to insurance. is what this whole thing is about. i don't know if that affordable care gives everybody the same chance that obama care does. >> they're the same thing. affordable care act is the way it should be known. we absolutely should have -- everyone should have access to health insurance. in this country. i hope that the republicans can see the way and, you know -- it's law, so let's get on with it. >> i'm for the obama care. i just feel that the obama care has a lot more to offer. >> affordable act. i think the affordable act is better for the individual. >> what is the difference? >> they're one and the same. >> they're the same thing. i do know they're the same thing. i was not tricked, ed.

>> the information must not travel across the country very fast. i don't know what it is. joining me now is our rapid response panel, bob shrum, democratic strategist, brad woodhouse, americans united for change, and president of the american center for american progress, tom perello is with us tonight. great to have you with us here. bob, you first. this misinformation campaign has had millions of dollars thrown at it, has it worked? your response. >> well, to some extent, yes, of course it's worked. my first reaction in watching those clips is imagine how popular the affordable care act would be if it was called boehner care. it would be down somewhere around 15%. but putting aside the people in the street and some of it is quite amusing, two underlying realities. first, you have a lot of people in this country, the sort of representatives of the old america who don't like barack obama and would oppose anything he had anything to do with, and they have sent a bunch of wacko

birds from gerrymander districts to congress who created the mess we're in. secondly, the affordable care act or obama care is going to last for a long time. i think it's going to be a big success. 80% of people don't want to shut down to get rid of it. about 60% don't want it defunded. they're wary of it, they heard the propaganda, they're not sure how it's going to work. but they want to see if it's going to work. and that's why we saw this deluge of calls from people who need health coverage to all of these exchanges. i think a generation from now, obama care will still be called that, will be something most politicians won't declare oppose, and everybody will know what it is. >> brad, the launch. on a scale from 1 to 10, where would you put it as far as success is concerned? >> well, i'd put it at least a 7 or 8. i mean, these -- you know, these glitches are actually, i think, you know -- look, you would like to have no glitches. but they're -- the reason for them is a welcome thing. i mean, people are trying to get a lot of information. they had 4.7 million unique hits

at health care.gov. and phone lines jammed. remember what republicans said, ed? said you're going to have to force this down the throats of the american people. well, millions of americans are voluntarily going online, making phone calls. and this is where the misinformation is going to get corrected, when they get access to affordable health care, they're not going to pay attention to any of this other crap anymore. >> tom, fox news, quickly moved away from covering glitch watch back to the shutdown. why don't republicans realize their case for shutting down the government, just really holds no weight whatsoever? >> well, i think they're aware of that. i think they can read the polls. this is why speaker boehner didn't want to go in this direction. even if he wasn't willing to stand up to his caucus to prevent it. and they know the same thing about obama care. even in the worst days of obama care, the individual elements of it have always been popular. when people actually understand how the bill works, it makes tremendous sense for people, and now it's a law and people are seeing that.

and that's why this is a dangerous gam bit. but even more than that, shutting down the government really risks the fragile economic recovery we have. >> yeah. >> and if there is one thing we know from all elections over the last 50 years, it's a down economy isn't good for couples, and those are incumbent republicans running for those houses. >> what about the economy? 166,000 jobs were added in the month of september. they have been trying to tank this economy all along. is this part of the equation, too, mr. woodhouse? what do you think? >> i think it is. look, they have a long history, ed, going up to the 2010 elections, going up to the 2012 elections and now going into this, where they're not trying to do anything they can to help move the economy forward. they're afraid the president will get credit for it. they think in these jerry mander districts that bob mentioned they can survive a government shutdown. they can survive tanking the economy. and look, it's just -- look, it's just not what america wants. america wants them to get their jobs done. and i think that's why you see

these polls really, really moving against them. >> bob shrum, this meeting at the white house, how important is it, what are your expectations? >> my expectations are very low. i don't think we're at the point yet where we're going to get any kind of breakthrough and mostly john boehner and the republicans and the house surrendering. and i think brad is right. it may take a very long time to get that done, because we call them the republican leadership. they're leaders without a following. the people they supposedly represent are, in fact, in charge. and there are about 70 or 80 of them, telling boehner, basically, if he does what he should do, put a clean continuing resolution or budget resolution out on the floor or raise the debt limit in a clean way, they're going to throw hem out as speaker. >> isn't the president, tom, in a position of strength here? i mean, he's got the law. it's open. people like it. the polls are with him. he's won elections. i mean, how can the president not be in a position of strength right here? >> well, it's just always hard to negotiate with crazy.

and it's a very tall process. people have to remember, the cr is a budget document, and the reason there is not anymore negotiating to be done is because the democrats have accepted 100% of the republicans' number on the budget, which is a 98 8 number. the post sequester number, even though everyone agrees, the sequester is a terrible idea for the economy and policy, so even though there is no more give for the democratic side, they have given 100% to the republican side on the budget on what is supposed to be a budget document. >> so quickly, all three of you, bob, you first. does this go to october 17th, at least? >> i think there's a very good chance it goes to october 17th. and these idiots might actually crash the full faith and credit of the united states and do what government created lbs. >> what do you think? >> october 17th. >> what do you think, tom? >> looking that way. >> i'm going to say october 24th. until they got to write the check. i think this is going to be a lot of hurt and do irreparable damage to the economy. i hate to say that.

but i believe that that is what they want. bob shrum, brad wood house, tom periello, great to have you with us tonight. coming up, republicans don't deserve to be paid during the shutdown. but do they deserve large pensions when they retire? stay with us. roject management. baron of the build-out. you need a permit... to be this awesome. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. (aaron) purrrfect. (vo) meee-ow, business pro. meee-ow. go national. go like a pro.

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and in pretenders tornado, it's hell's kitchen with ann romney. mitt romney visited our friends over on the kirby couch to sell her new cookbook. instead, she served up some whoppers. >> it's frustrating for me that people never got to see mitt for the real candidate he was. there's so much vilifying that goes on in a campaign. you know that's going to come, but for me, at the end of the day, if people had honestly known that he was the most capable did the, that he would

have made a difference, he would have stopped obama care. >> would we be in a shut down? >> we wouldn't be in a shut down. >> ooh, mrs. romney shouldn't be writing cookbooks, she should be writing fiction. americans got to know mitt romney pretty well, after all, he's been running for president for seven years. americans did get to see the real romney. we even have the tape to prove it. >> corporations are people, my friend. i don't know about these cookies. i'm not concerned about the very poor. we have a safety net there. whole binders full of women. there are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. >> now it seems that mrs. romney can sure dish it out. but if she believes we're eating this story, well, she can keep on pretending. and make it last all night. [ female announcer ] pantene volume,

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welcome back to "the ed show." this is the story for the folks who take a shower after work. consume this, my friends. his name is spencer baucus, the longest serving member of alabama's delegation. he's going to retire when his term ends next year. now the alabama republican is best known for aggressively opposing the obama administration's wall street reform efforts. he was also an outspoken

opponent of obama care. >> washington yet again is building a new bureaucracy to tell people what to do. the federal government has no business making private medical decisions that ought to be between you and a doctor. >> now what's interesting here is that congressman baucus is a great example. he thinks it's okay to take away benefits from tens of millions of americans, but whether he retires, he's going to be getting about $77,000 a year from his pension. he's also going to have health care benefits for the rest of his life. that figure is based on his $174,000 a year salary and his 22 years as a congressional member. look at what baucus said on an alabama local newscast recently. >> maybe some people want dependency to the government, but really, that's our problem in the country, our work ethic

has been undermined. people can actually make more money staying at home. >> talk about dependency. this is a guy who doesn't have to worry about, ever, anybody coming in and taking his retirement or taking his health care benefits. this guy ought to look right in the mirror, because you see baucus will join about 500 members of congress who collectively draw $30 million in annual pension payments from taxpayers across america and the congressional pensions are two to three more times generous than the ones for workers in the private sector with similar salaries. what is it? it's the fox guarding the hen house. and after he does 22 years in the congress, he will walk with a solid retirement and tremendous security, unlike those folks in detroit who works for 30 years on the police force and now are at the mercy of some

financial manager who wasn't elected but was just appointed by a right wing governor? tell me where the fairness is in america. joining me now, president of the communication workers of america. lth good to have you with us. related to this shut down, you know, what does this say to america, that they are getting paid when they're technically not working and making any progress whatsoever, and what does it say to america when you have such a terrible disparity of a guy who spends 20 years there, but yet you have workers and wagers who spend 30 years and have their retirement and benefits always under the gun. >> most workers have no pension at all. taxpayers have put more into his savings plan where he could also put money in. that's another 200,000. the global standard is that when we retire at a noumal retirement

age, 65 -- he'll be a little older -- we should have half of our income. most of americans will have 20% of their income, most of them from social security. his was five times what the average american working person makes. so this is bad from every way you look at it. as my great grandmother used to say, i'll watch your feet, not your mouth. sew says one thing and then his own actions are exactly the opposite. that's what we're dealing with. >> then he goes home and talks about dependency. your thoughts. >> he talks about dependency while he cleans up. he does exactly what the u.s. chamber of commerce wants. he talks one way and walks a different way when it comes to his family. and unfortunately, he's one of

many in that same caucus who do this. the same ones who shut the government down. >> we'll see you back on friday night. good evening, rev. another day of disgrace as we can see in washington, but thanks for throwing it to me. i'm live tonight from atlanta. breaking news at the white house. at this hour, president obama is meeting with congressional leader does try to end this government shutdown. will republicans stop holding the nation hostage over the president's health care law? all today there was signs and more signs that they're still playing game, and the president said he's fed up. >> i am exasperated with