thanks so much for watching this thursday afternoon. don't move. coming up next "the ed show" with my good friend and this network's offensive lineman, ed shultz. ♪ good evening, americans. welcome to "the ed show" live from new york. let's get to work. good afternoon, everybody. >> you can't fix this government-run health care plan called obama care. >> i said that i would do everything we can to fix this problem. >> there is no way to fix this. >> and today i'm offering an idea that will help do it. >> i don't think this is ever going to work. >> we actually have a political party and a force in this country that thinks it's the right morally correct thing to do, to take insurance away from

a fellow american. >> people want affordable health care. >> there is no way to fix this. >> i'm willing to work with democrats and republicans to fix problems as they arise. >> frankly, i don't think is there way to fix it. >> insurance is real important! >> it's certainly up affordable. >> the original market was not working well. >> this is going to destroy the best health care delivery system in the world. >> i ask the doctor in new york caring for my wife after she had surgery at mayo, what -- doctor, what do the people do that don't have insurance? i didn't get an answer. i got this. >> it's important that we don't pretend somehow that is a place worth going back to. >> the mainstream media never

says that this guy right there, john boehner, is one of the most negative guys in the history of politics. we can't fix it! we can't do this! it can't be done! we're america! we're americans. we can do anything! put that aside for just a moment. i'm going to get real personal tonight on this program. i don't think i have to show you or anybody else my resume when it comes to being an advocate for universal health care in this country. i've been outspoken on it well over a decade but today i take license to question this president, because the president that i saw on television today in washington and the one i saw this afternoon in ohio, it was kind of a tale of two cities. i just want to say up front the guy that was in ohio is the guy i want in washington. the guy that was in washington today in front of the mainstream media he didn't seem too confident to me. not at all.

rather eapologetic and negative and "i'm not so sure of myself." if barack obama was going fishing tonight with a tackle box, i would say he didn't have a lot of confidence in his tackle box and i don't know how many fish he is coming home with. president obama is caving to the pressure from republicans. earlier today, the president announced that we will delay junk insurance cancellations for one year. >> state insurance commissioners still have the power to decide what plans can and can't be sold in their states but the bottom line is insurers can extend current plans that would otherwise be canceled into 2014 and americans whose plans have been canceled can choose to reenroll in the same kind of play. >> minutia, minutia, minutia. who is going to understand that? i have come to the conclusion the administration and a lot of democrats just don't know how to talk about this. here is how you talk about it.

this is wonderful social change for america. this is going to make us a healthier society. this is going to bring costs down. this is going to save lives. this isn't hard stuff! but because of the right wing noise machine and all of the negativity in washington, you can see that it's wearing on the president. this is his ground game, negativity boehner but now it's bleeding off on president obama. where is the guy that was out on the campaign trail, oh, yeah, he was in ohio today. let's check this guy out. >> we always knew this was going to be hard. there is a reason why folks that tried to do it for a hundred years and hadn't done it. i want everybody here to understand, i am going to see this through. i want millions of americans to make sure that they are not going broke when they get sick and they can go to a doctor when their kid gets sick and we are not apologizing for that. we are going to get this done.

we are not going to gut this law. we will fix what needs to be fixed but we are going to make the affordable care act work and those who say they are opposed to it and can't offer a solution, we will push back. >> yea! that's what i wanted in washington today! am i asking too much as an obama supporter to want that? we are going to fix it. we are going to get it done. i'm going to see this thing through. no. in washington, we got -- well, we fumbled. well, we haven't been very good. i'm not happy. mr. president, respectfully, the next time you go into the press room in washington, you give it to them! you let them have it! this is good! this is great for america! this isn't about appeasing a bunch of negative nellies sitting in the room that want to see you fail!

i know -- look. i've been in front of crowds and i know that they can energize you, but you got to believe in all facets that this is going to happen and we are going to see this thing through! all right. i want to point out that cancellations in the insurance industry, it's nothing new. been happening a long time before obama care came around. insurance premiums during the bush years were double digits year after year. increases, that was kind of the norm. obama care was designed to get rid of junk insurance and to protect the consumer and make it good for everybody. insurance companies love these bogus policies we are talking about because they can rake in more profits for them. they can line their pockets. wall street loves it. now, if you decide to keep your junk insurance, you better hope you don't get sick. let me play out a very personal scenario for you.

the median income in this country is $27,519. now, i'll be the first one to tell you make a hell of a lot more money that, but this is where america is, okay? that's where they are. you know, it's not really easy to live off $27,000 a year. a lot of people are working two jobs and trying to make end's meet and a lot of those folks don't have insurance, let alone have the men to buy health insurance. if you get sick and you have junk insurance or you have no insurance at all, at this annual rate of income, you're not in a real good place. in fact, you're in a pretty tough spot. of course, it depends upon what kind of illness you get. last year, my wife wendy was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. 1 out of 72 women in the united states will be diagnosed with this disease in their lifetime.

and i can tell you, firsthand, it's really scary. it rocks you to the core. now, thankfully, my wife wendy and i were lucky. we have had health insurance for years but if you're an average working stiff out there across america making $27,000 a year, which is a median income in america, here is what you would have been faced with. blue cross/blue shield of north dakota, my little ed shelts broadcasting llc. blue cross/blue shield of north dakota paid out $179,000 in benefits for my wife's cancer treatment and that is with no complications. i'm talking about the surgery at mayo, lear at sloan keter ling in new york city, all of the doctor visits and all of the medications, just everything. then i had to pay out of pocket some because of the dedeductible so it's over 200 grand but this is the number that we have got

from blue cross/blue shield of north dakota. i have absolutely no complaints. insurance is good. we pay $1,100 a month between the both of us for our premiums. it's kind of high but we can afford it. both of our insurance policies total that. now i'd much rather pay that than have to deal with $179,000 bill with no backup. now under obama care, someone with low income could enroll in medicaid or qualify for subsidies. under obama care, low income wage earners wouldn't be stuck with a massive bill like this. so here is how it would play out if you're one of those folks making $27,500 a year that the republicans don't give a damn about, this is how it would play out. if you got a medical bill for $179,048.69, and you took out a ten-year loan at 0%, let's say

you got a rich uncle who is going to cut you a deal or a the banker really likes you, so zero percent at ten years for 179,000 plus, you would be paying almost $1,500 a month for ten years. that is $18,000 a year! now if you make $27,000 a year, guess what? it ain't happening! you know what it's called? friggin' bankruptcy. that's is what it's called. and where does everybody else's costs go? right through the roof. because you and i, the people who are insured, are going to end up paying for it. why can't republicans get that? obama care makes it so if this scenario plays out, you're not going to be standing there alone with a big bill. you're going to have some backup and america is going to be there for you. now, i realize that conservative right wing talkers who make millions of dollars, they think, $27 million, i used to make that

when i started out in this business i was making $13 an hour. dah, dah, dah. yeah, everybody is lucky enough to make that kind of money, right? republicans don't have a solution to this problem. now tomorrow, boehner is saying, well, we're going to go to the floor and we're going to vote this and do edge and do that. they have no solution for the scenario that i just played out for you. and you know what? they don't give a damn. john boehner came out and said just this morning that we should just scrap the whole thing! >> you can't fix this government-run health care plan called obama care. this is going to destroy the best health care delivery system in the world. >> don't you just feel like giving that guy the finger? the republicans just don't have a plan. they are heartless, they are mean-spirited. now, i would like the speaker of the house to talk about $179,000

bill with no way to pay for it. what do you want americans to do? what do you want them to do, mr. boehner? you republicans who claim that you're devout christians and you're in with the lord, michele bachmann, what do you want these people to do? come to table with a plan. well, it's too late. we have already got the law. so if i can say to the democrats tonight, what you have done for this country is remarkable. hold the line. hold the line. it's the moral line. it's the right thing to do. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question -- extending junk insurance for one more year. do you think president obama did the right thing today? text a for yes and text b to know to 67662 and you can go to our blog also. we will bring you the results late later on in the show. i'm going to get a lot of response on this from people who

are stuck with big bills and no way out except bankruptcy. that's the republican america. it shouldn't be that way. congresswoman jan shukowski joins us tonight. is the president going to do this by executive order and can he do it by executive order? what did he say today? he said he had a plan. do the lawmakers have to vote on this? how is this going to unfold the extension of the junk policies? >> first of all, you heard the president in making the speech that you really liked and he did say that we can fix it but we are going to stick to it and we are not going to get rid of obama care, no way. for the very reasons, the very emotional and real-life reasons you've been talking about, ed. but we can do something about some of the people who have been getting those letters. but here is my advice to the people who are getting those

letters right now. be sure and go to the exchange and that will be able to happen soon. you'll be able to go online and check it out and don't get stuck in a junk policy. try and find one on the exchange that is going to be much more affordable and even better and cover the things that you really need. >> congresswoman, about the president capitulate today? why didn't he just come out and say, hey, this is only 5% of the people that we're talking about. it's going to get better if they go into the exchange. you got to suck it up, we are moving forward. instead, he opens the door for possible other changes. >> no, no. well, there may be other changes coming and maybe we should. i don't know. but listen. there are some people who understand their plans. they are not junk plans and they are going to be losing their health insurance for this year if they don't get to keep the plans that they have. i've talked to some of those people. by and large, that's very few people, however. most of the people who are

getting those letters can do better on the exchange. >> do you think -- i've got to ask you this, congresswoman. >> okay. do you if i if fox news hasn't hammering away at this issue that the president would not have done this? >> i think he would have because we are getting letters from constituents in our district. people who have supported the president and obama care that are finding, right now, they are able to get the policies that they need and it is difficult, of course, because they can't get on to the exchange. >> sure. >> i don't think this delay -- and it is a delay. this isn't permanent, for short time let's us all focus on the big picture and the big picture is what you were saying. you know, parents are kids with autism were on the hill today and they were saying, thank you. they are thrilled. their children are going to be able -- what a burden lifted off their shoulders. >> i want to know about this

revolt that some media people are saying that is happening within the democrat irparty on obama care. i want you to address that. >> i mean, we just had a briefing from the chief of staff, dennis mcdonough, who talked about what the proposal -- what the proposal means and let's remember, ed, the insurance companies now have to decide, am i really serious about offering these plans to people? or are they going to use it as an opportunity to say, oh, no, we don't want you to be renewed. you know, you're sick and we don't want to renew you. so the insurance companies may not be so willing actually to extend those policies, but let me just say, there was a relief in the caucus that for those few people that really are troubled right now, that are calling our office and that have looked carefully at what is available to them, that we are going to take care of those people for now while we fix, if there is any other glitches that come along, but, in the meantime, it's the big picture.

let's get that website fixed and let people go on and, tomorrow, we are going to offer a legislative plan to make sure that we make the plan a bit better. look. if the republicans, i was in committee today. they don't have an answer. >> they don't. >> john boehner is saying the best health delivery system in the world, his head is in the sand. what he is thinking about? >> totally. he has no plan for people who are bankrupt because of a health issue as i had laid out earlier today tonight. the numbers don't add up for the medi median income earner in this country. jan schakowsky with us on "the ed show." remember to answer the question at the bottom of your screen and share your thoughts with us on facebook and the address on your screen. much more coming up. stay with us. (vo) you are a business pro. maestro of project 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.

with an ultra-thin coating and fast absorbing advil ion core™ technology, it stops pain before it gets worse. nothing works faster. new fast acting advil. look for it in the white box.

did i ever tell my constituents that if they liked their plan they could keep it? i would have if i had ever met anybody who liked his or her plan. but that was not my experience. >> that is exactly what nancy pelosi just said moments ago on capitol hill because millions of americans who have junk insurance that don't like it and want standards which is in this bill. time for the trenders in our social media. here is where you is find us. of course, on the radio sirius xm 127 monday through friday at noon to 3:00. we are reporting today it's all about obama care. take a look.

>> in today's top trender. fly over country fallout. >> fire in the hole, baby. >> 106,000 americans have enrolled in qualified health plans through the marketplace. >> reporter: while state health care exchanges are working. >> can you see an eagerness out there for affordable health coverage. >> it's easier to do this on a state basis than having the whole federal system. >> the state exchanges are working where they are properly implemented. >> reporter: i-clyou're clear f takeoff. >> just 27,000 people have enrolled on the federal website healthcare.gov. >> is that as high a number as we would like? absolutely not. >> making political decisions as opposed to decisions in the best interest of their people. >> joining me now is congress n joseph crowley of new york. good to have you with us tonight. >> good to be here. >> i want to nail down the fact that are the democrats on the

same page or is there some division within the caucus on what is going on with the announcement made by today by the president? >> the democrats are on the same page. we want to see the affordable obama care, care act, whatever you call it but the bottom line is, ed, it's a bill and a law that for the first time in many instances allow for americans to afford insurance in this country. we are committed to that. customer we're passionate about that. the alternative is the republicans. they want to repeal it. they have no alternative. they have no vision, no plan. democrats have that. >> congressman, what will the map? we are not politically divided in this country rural versus urban but apparently medically divided as well too. the states that reject it are mostly red states. what does that tell you? >> it tells you what is happening in washington is not isolated in washington alone.

there is a republican national agenda to repeal this bill. we have no cooperation of the republican party here in congress and you have no cooperation of 99% of the republican governors in this country today. in a state like new york, our exchange is up and running and working. over 50,000 of new yorkers have agreed to enter and to get health insurance through the exchange. so it is working in those states where you have cooperation. >> congressman, what is your interpretation of how this is going to unfold? can the president just sign an executive order and say, okay, you can keep your insurance for another year or is there going to have to be legislative action here? >> i think what the president has proposed is sufficient. i think that the legislative action that is proposed by the republicans to the upton bill is really a trojan horse. they are just trying to get in. their sole purpose for offering

this amendment is not to help or fix the problem. it's to exploit a problem. >> the president is trying to fix that. >> they pass this upton thing and they probably will because they are republicans. >> right. they control the house. >> then harry reid has to make a decision what he is going to do with it in the senate and the president has to gha whether he would support something the republicans would do which would go to the very core of obama care and strip away the spine of this law that would get rid of junk insurance and, of course, would bring standard to the industry. so how is this going to end? >> i think what is going to happen here is that as you say tomorrow, the house republicans, because they do control the house of representatives, this bill in all likelihood will pass. i don't see any other option in that fold. in the senate, they are different bills. so they are not congruent, not the same language. >> okay. >> so i don't see that matching up. and if -- by some chance it happens, i doubt very much the president will sign this bill because i do think it goes much

further than what the president proposed today and the attempt is to undermine and repeal the affordable care act and not to fix it. >> okay. it seems to me that the president today made a calculation that i'm not going to go up the middle since he is talking about fumbling. he's not going up the middle but try to do an end run on this and he is going to say, you know what? i'm going take a little time to run this. i'm counting on the 95% of the people that this does not affect and enough positive stories are going to come out of this and public opinion is going to swing with our team. >> yes. >> your call on that? >> i think that whether the website is up and running sufficiently and it's getting better every day by the moment, and more and more people can have access to what is out there, what is available, affordable. they are going to see that there are options to lower their premiums and to give them the opportunity in the first place. what you're looking here is not 95%. i think the number is greater. even those folks within the 5% are going to be seeing that they

will probably have other options on the exchanges that will lower their premiums and get better coverage because of these junk coverage is not going to help them when they really neat health care. >> president obama blamed himself today, his fault, he is sorry, fumbled, everything else. he didn't lay it on anybody else. >> right. >> what do you make that have? is he giving cover to everybody who is going to be running in the mid terms that this isn't going to dog anybody's campaign? >> look. i think we all are members of congress are all individually elected and it's based largely on the political capital we have built up over the years. >> yeah. >> so i don't think anyone says one particular issue is the end-all. what i do think the president is doing is the responsible thing. this has not been a right field rollout of the affordable care act but he has recognized that and you can fix a broken website. you can't fix broken ideas. >> boehner says he can't fix it. he says, in fact, he says you can't trust the white house. >> well, the reality is boehner

has nothing to offer in its stead. they have absolutely have no ideas. you can't fix no ideas and you can't fix broken ideas. >> congressman krcrowley, thank for joining us. sarah palin takes her act to new levels. and i'm going bowling. but next, ask ed is just ahead. ♪

[ male announcer ] your eyes. even at a distance of 10 miles...

the length of 146 football fields... they can see the light of a single candle. your eyes are amazing. look after them with centrum silver. multivitamins with lutein and vitamins a, c, and e to support healthy eyes and packed with key nutrients to support your heart and brain, too. centrum silver. for the most amazing parts of you. afghanistan in 2009. on the u.s.s. saratoga in 1982. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve.

i love hearing from our viewers and love the questions coming. thanks so much. our "ask ed" live segment first question from steven. he wants to know how will the republicans react when the aca, affordable care act, is successful. well, let me just tell you this is going to go on for decades. the same way they are trying to privati privati

privati privati privatize social security today is their philosophy and ideology. once we get this and it's going to be successful they are going to fight it for a long time. david highway is the next question. why do americans say they want change but keep voting for the same idiots? well, now, wait a minute. david, this is a marathon, not a sprint. 2012 was a pretty dog gone good for the democrats. last week was a good week possess the democrats in virginia a southern state. yes, the guy across the river in new jersey chris christie picked up the election but they wouldn't won one seat in their assembly. the bottom line is shifting. we are a center left country. all good. keep fighting. stick around. "rapid fight panel" is next. the dow surged 54 points and

s&p 500 up 8 and nasdaq added 7. stocks on a high reacting to signals from janet yellen during hour confirmation meeting to lead the fed. new claims for unemployment benefits drops a fifth week down by 2,000 last week. mortgage rates are climbing 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose to 4.35% this year. my asthma's under control.

i get out a lot... except when it's too cold. like the last three weekends. asthma doesn't affect my job... you missed the meeting again last week! it doesn't affect my family. your coughing woke me up again. i wish you'd take me to the park. i don't use my rescue inhaler a lot... depends on what you mean by a lot. coping with asthma isn't controlling it. test your level of control at asthma.com, then talk to your doctor. there may be more you could do for your asthma.

we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement, standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual at... today. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? america's favorite half-term governor sarah palin is bravely taking it upon herself to put the private back in christmas. her latestbook "good tidings and great joy protecting the heart of christmas," palin takes on angry atheists who she claims is

waging on a religion war in america which is why this exchange came as such a surprise. >> what do you think of pope francis? what do you think of him? >> i'm kind of trying to follow what his agenda is. you know, i'm surprised that he came out with a couple of things in the media, but then again, i'm not one to trust the media's interpretation of somebody's message but having read through media outlets that he has had some statements that, to me, sound kind of liberal, has taken me aback and kind of surprised me, but, there again, you know, unless i really dig deep into what his mechissaging is and do own homework. >> pope francis has earned the universal praise for his populace approach to the papacy and instead pope francis has used his position to focus on

charity and helping the poor or less fortunate in the world. i don't want to spoil the new testament for pal la ain becaus sounds like she hasn't read it yet but if she is taken back by pope francis liberal christianity she is in for a real shock when they reads about jesus. palin took to the media to clear things up. i was reminding viewers we need to do our own homework on news subjects. palin then went on to say her catholic friends and family have since assured me that pope francis is as sincere and faithful a shepherd of his church. i apologize for not being clear in my response. sarah palin apologizing. she must have got a lot of heat from catholics. joining me now is e.j. deon and

msnbc contributor ruth conrad for the progressive magazine joining us tonight. well, is it a liberal position to care about the poor or is it a conservative position to care about the poor? is sarah palin against poor people in this statement? e.j., deon, your thoughts on this unfolding. >> until she caved on her statement, i was going to do something never before attempted on "the ed show," i was going to defend sarah palin and say yes, the pope is from her, point of view, more than a little bit liberal. the pope we have said on the income of minority is increasing exponentially. the center of his message really has been about our obligations to the poor and a -- really

quite radical message to american ears about the problems with unregulated capitalism. but he has also inspired a great deal of love among catholics because he actually walks his talk and he doesn't live in the bib papal apartments that he spent -- he used to take mass transit to work. he's an inspiring figure, but he is definitely to the left of sarah palin when it comes to economics. >> ruth, what effect could this pope have on social attitudes in this country when we have income inequality at a torrid pace going opposite directions? you have workers rights being attacked. you have, well, we are going to cut food stamps. with the pope being so visible and outspoken on these issues could he push social change in america for the better? >> i think so.

is there a fine tradition of catholici catholicism. they say your budget is not in keeping with catholic doctrine that christian its is about social justice not about wealth but caring for the poor and doing good. i think that's a message that a lot of american catholics have been yearning to hear and i think when the pope says the church is obsessed with abortion and homosexuality when he says who am i to judge gay people and he wants to return to the more important issue of economic justice and taking care of people that that is a really welcome message for progressive catholics all over the country who do the work of running food pantries and who really care about what is happening to their flock. >> this war on christmas, this is an old -- an old pony that fox news people have ridden for a long time. i guess it's sarah palin's turn this holiday season. she claims that the pope has an

agenda. what about his belief system? e.j., faithfully two different things, aren't there? >> i think it's worth remembering that jesus was born and nothing in for him. a lot of christians especially poor christians have drawn a lot of inspiration from that over the years. i mean, the whole war on christmas thing is just a horribly decisive thing. if you want to talk about a war on christmas, talk about the commercialization of christmas which is not an issue she is going to raise. i just want to underscore something ruth said which is when you look at the catholic church and look at the work it does among poor people and homeless people, it's really inspiring and you can already see an impact of pope francis on the american church cardinal, sean o'malley up in boston gave an interview in "the boston globe" this week before the bishop's meeting in baltimore.

he said the church needs to call a lot more attention to this work that the church does. so this is not just the pope speaking. i think he is having an effect all the way down the line in the church. >> these tea partiers i mean, it's black and white and no gray area. liberal is bad. it's a liberal position to help the poor, the pope wants to help the poor and he is clear on that and wants to focus on that. i'm sure there's some tea party catholics out there. ruth, how will they balance this? >> i think conservative catholics are clearly struggling with the fact the highest authority in the church is telling them their message is wrong. the spirit values of the catholic church is not bashing gay people and i think it's a struggle for people. let's face it. the conservatives in this country and really not conservatives but the right wingers and the tea partiers have tried to say they have a monopoly on things like christmas and freedom and

religious values and it's preposterous and not true. i liked when you said is there a center left majority in this country. i think that's right. i think people who are really serious about their core beliefs and about something bigger than this world and, you know, shopping really care about the consistency of that message and i think they are happy to see what the hope has to say. >> ruth and e.j., great to have you with us tonight. thanks for the discussion. up next, the koch brother field of schemes in iowa. stay tuned for the punchout. we will be right back. ♪ [ male announcer ] 1.21 gigawatts. today, that's easy. ge is revolutionizing power. supercharging turbines with advanced hardware and innovative software. using data predictively to help power entire cities. so the turbines of today... will power us all... into the future. ♪

as your life and career change, fidelity is there for your personal economy, helping you readjust your retirement plan along the way, rethink how you're invested, and refocus as your career moves forward. wherever you are today, a fidelity i.r.a. has a wide range of investment choices to help you fine-tune your personal economy. call today, and we'll make it easy to move that old 401(k) to a fidelity i.r.a. i started part-time, now i'm a manager.n. my employer matches my charitable giving. really. i get bonuses even working part-time. where i work, over 400 people are promoted every day. healthcare starting under $40 a month. i got education benefits. i work at walmart. i'm a pharmacist. sales associate. i manage produce. i work in logistics. there's more to walmart than you think. vo: opportunity. that's the real walmart.

getting the right nutrition isn't always easy. first, i want a way to help minimize my blood sugar spikes. then, a way to support heart health. ♪ and let's not forget immune support. ♪ but now i have new glucerna advance with three benefits in one. including carbsteady ultra to help minimize blood sugar spikes. it's the best from glucerna. [ male announcer ] new glucerna advance.

from the brand doctors recommend most. advancing nutrition for diabetes.

in "pretenders" tonight the five. the love affair continues. the kids across the boost couldn't resist double dipping. one thing about the five, they know a good thing when they see it. >> i have to get this in here. because i don't know why.

why do i have to get crazy eddie shultz in this show? >> you explained yesterday. >> we have to. listen to this guy. i call him a buffoon yesterday and call him a crazy buffoon today. watch. >> the media are cherry picking the bad facts out there and repeating them over and over again and, in many cases, they are making stuff up. >> the news media, bob, doesn't have to do anything. the numbers coming out and write the stories for the news media. as greg pointed where was the media years ago? >> does that mean the five is going to be for universal health care when the affordable health care act is fully implemented? i can't wait! i'm glad her in not keeping my admiration a secret any more and now all they have to do is listen to. they say the news media doesn't have to do anything. the five won't bother to research or report on the countless people whose lives are changing because of the health care law. so they could keep showing my mug on the screen. i'm okay with that. but if the five believes that i'm going to keep doing the work

for them, they can keep on pretending! more shopping. more dining out. more traveling. and along with it, more identity theft. every time you pull out your credit card, shop online, or hit the road, you give thieves a chance to ruin your holiday. you can't be on the lookout 24/7. but lifelock can. protecting your identity, your bank accounts, even the equity in your home. when lifelock detects a threat to your identity within their network, they'll alert you by text, phone, or e-mail, protecting you before the damage can be done. act now and we'll protect you 60 days risk free. no one protects you better than lifelock. try lifelock protection 60 days risk free and get a special holiday gift -- a document shredder. a $29 value free. ♪ ♪

 maestro of project 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. with an ultra-thin coating and fast absorbing advil ion core™ technology, it stops pain before it gets worse. nothing works faster. new fast acting advil. look for it in the white box.

[ male announcer ] welcome back all the sweet things your family loves with 0-calorie monk fruit in the raw. ♪ welcome back [ male announcer ] it's made with the natural, vine-ripened sweetness of fruit, so you can serve up deliciously sweet treats without all the sugar. so let no drink go unsweetened. no spatula un-licked. and no last bit un-sipped. you don't have to throw a party, but you'll probably feel like celebrating. raw natural sweetness, raw natural success. to save big during sleep train's triple choice sale.ck for a limited time, you can choose to save hundreds on beautyrest and posturepedic mattress sets. or choose $300 in free gifts with sleep train's most popular tempurpedic mattresses. you can even choose 48 months interest-free financing on the new tempur-choice with head-to-toe customization. the triple choice sale on now at sleep train! ♪ sleep train

♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ welcome back to "the ed show." this is the story for those who take a shower after work. in iowa big financial backing this election year. billionaire republican activist the koch brothers took a special interest in corville, iowa. they jumped in the race to help

elect the mayor and city council members. the group mailed filers and also advertised in newspapers, called voters, did boots on the ground, knocked on doors. did it all. the iowa chapter for americans for prosperity argues the city's debt is higher per capita than bankrupt embroiled city of detroit, michigan. so they're trying to gain influence, but it doesn't take very much money to buy a lot of ad space and get votes in a town fewer than 20,000 residents. it's clear the koch brothers have a larger scale agenda. as you may recall, eastern iowa was a democratic stronghold in 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. in a state that president obama won. now democratic congressman bruce brayly who is trying to warn people about the koch money floating into iowa. and he joins us tonight. i want to point out that we asked koch industries to come on the program with us tonight. they declined, but they did supply us with this statement.

they say, the american energy alliance and americans for prosperity operate independent of of koch industries. we are not involved in their day-to-day operations and we do not direct the activities of their organization. congressman, is koch money floating into iowa? and is the mission to take the state? >> yes, it is floating into iowa. we see it in all 99 counties. the fact they intervened in this election in coralville, iowa, shows you how widespread and pervasive this problem is. and i think iowans are sick of it. >> they say americans for prosperity operates independently. you disagree? >> i'm sure the average iowa voter is comforted by that disclaimer but the harsh reality is we've seen this before.

when millions of dollars poured into the state and influenced elections. that's why i have made it a priority to let people know that the citizens united decision which allowed all of this secret outside money to flow into iowa is bad for america, it's bad for democracy. and that's why i'm urging people to go to my website brucebraley.com to sign my petition to repeal citizens united. >> senator tom harkin, he is retiring from the senate. you are running for his seat. are you going to be able to match -- or what do you expect financially the koch brothers or americans for prosperity to do when you are the competition? >> well, as my friend sherrod brown found when he ran in ohio, the sky's the limit, ed. i had told him that he could expect millions and millions of dollars to be used against him. and i think the final total was nearly $40 million in a state the size of ohio. the groups you've mentioned are

already attacking me. they're out in all parts of the state. and we know that they're going to be a significant presence in the 2014 election. that's why it's important to educate iowans about what's at stake and who's trying to influence their elections even though as you pointed out the donors themselves are secret at this point. >> do you think that iowans are onto this? and how do you think they feel about this outside money? >> oh, i think they are onto it and i think the people of coralville got onto it very quickly. if you look at the election outcomes, you can see that the people of coralville rejected these outside secret attempts to influence their local municipal elections. iowans take politics very seriously, ed. and they expect you to come and talk to them in clear terms about what you stand for and what you believe. and they want to look inside you and know what type of person you are. they don't want to be influenced by outside groups that don't

care about your economy. they don't care about the state. they're just trying to help themselves. >> what about the fact that there's a lot of small market, small towns in iowa. it's not like it's a million-dollar purchase every time you put on a tv ad in the state of iowa. cheap seat? i mean, you think that's how they view this? that's the way it is. >> i think that the fact that you can buy these types of services relatively inexpensively in a small community like this means that you can have an extraordinarily outsized impact on some of these elections. and that's why it's important to inform voters about what's happening so they can be prepared to reject these misguided attempts to influence their votes. >> do you think that money in that town of 20,000 people had a difference to turn the entire city council and the mayor to the conservative ledger? do you think that money really had an impact? >> i think it certainly had the potential to do that. but because people woke up and

were aware of what was going on, i think they sent a strong message back to these groups. this is our town. we'll decide who's going to represent us based on the people we know and the ideas they've shared with us during this campaign. >> and we all know there's never going to be any transparency as long as the republicans hold the house. correct? >> no. because we passed a bill when we were in the majority called the disclose act that would have rolled back many of these requirements that were allowed under the citizens united case. but we have seen no action on that since the majority. >> so you don't buy the fact that the american energy alliance and americans for prosperity operate independently of koch industries, you're not buying it. all right. >> i think any reasonable person follows the money and knows that they're trying to influence these elections for their own benefit. >> all right. congressman bruce braley, good to have you with us tonight. thank you. that's "the ed show." "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now.

good evening, rev. >> good evening, ed. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, setting the record straight. president obama spoke directly to the american people today vowing his health care law will work. he also took responsibility for the problems. >> i think it's legitimate for them to expect me to have to win back some credibility on this health care law in particular and on a whole range of these issues in general. and that's on me. i mean, we fumbled the rollout on this health care law. >> that's a candid, honest assessment. the president owning up to it. the also announced a change saying insurance companies can renew canceled plans for another year. but