thanks so much for watching this afternoon. coming up right now is my friend and colleague, ed schultz and "the ed show." good evening, americans, and welcome to "the ed show," live from new york. let's get to work. >> from an undercover police officer in washington. >> he pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to one year probation. >> on the heels of the republicans voting to make sure that everybody who had access to food stamps was drug tested. it's like, what? >> congressman trey radel proves to be a rod ford conservative. >> i know what i did was wrong. >> i goofed up, eh? >> going to end up eating a steady diet of government cheese and living in a van down by the river! >> there's about a half dozen other things that i could lead with tonight, but you know what? i'm going to lead with this guy.

i want to talk tonight about leadership, responsibility, character. because for years, we have been told by the right wing talkers of america that character counts. this is a guy who stood next to mitt romney. this is a guy who stood next to everybody big-time republican in america. said he could do the job. was ready to represent you in florida. guess what? he's a cocaine user. well, you know why congress' polling is in the toilet? probably because of guys like this. i give him no quarter. this guy right here is exactly what's wrong with republicans in congress. and, yes, there are some democrats who have had some shortcomings. but i guess my question tonight is, what does it take for a guy to decide, you know, maybe it's time to resign? maybe this gig just ain't for me. tea party congressman trey radel

of florida, he was busted on october 29th. what day? october 29th? what's today? hmmm, almost a month ago. interesting how it's just coming out. authorities say that he bought three-and-a-half grams of cocaine during an undercover sting operation. after buying the drugs, he was allowed to return to his home. a short time later, fbi agents just stopped over to the house to charge him, and according to the "usa today" newspaper, radel was never even handcuffed or even taken to prison. i guess you could say this is the new d.c. liberal treatment that's out there. i know a lot of black folks get that a lot, you know? earlier today, raldel appeared in court in washington, d.c., pleaded guilty to cocaine possession. he said he was an alcoholic, who needed help. and he is now pursuing treatment. radel also said he wants to continue to serve as a congressman. hold it right there. radel also said he wants to

continue to serve as a congressman. hmmm. i've got three phone calls today on my radio show from truck drivers who said if they were ever involved in something like this, they'd be tossed out the window. i know if i was ever involved in something like this, i'd be out on sixth avenue in about ten seconds. and i know that if a college athlete were to be involved in cocaine, the athletic director would probably give him a boot, and -- or any college student, for that matter. and by the way, there would be no refund on the tuition. you see, congress is special. congress -- you don't even get handcuffed. there is no doubt that radel got off easy. he was given holy smokes, how is he going to deal with this, a year's probation? and a huge $250 fine. according to police, radel spent $250. that's what he spent. $250 on his three-and-a-half grams of cocaine. so i'd say that the $250 fine is probably a pretty damn good deal he got from the judge.

radel also got one year probation, another good deal. possession of cocaine in washington, d.c., if you're an average schmuck out there, could land you 180 days in jail and up to $1,000 fine. but you see, he's a congressman. says he wants to stay in the congress. so they sure as hell ain't going to throw the book at him. you see, if he were a poor african-american youth with no lawyer, no attorney, no legal help, no backup, there is no doubt that he would be facing jail time. because that's just kind of how it works. this is a disturbing double standard, and oh, by the way, the story get worse. in september, redel voted for legislation that would allow states to make food stamp recipients take a drug test. how about that. anybody ever handout about maybe congressional members should take a drug test? nancy pelosi addressed this on

tuesday. >> it's really interesting that right soon on the heels of the republicans voting to make sure that everybody who had access to food stamps was drug tested. it just -- it's like, what? to get food stamps, you have to be drug tested? and so i hope that they will humanize, shall we say, their thinking. >> did i say that redel wants to stay on and serve in congress? sure. the average food stamp benefit pays out $137 a month in washington, d.c. oddly enough, it's the same cost of one graham of cocaine in washington, d.c. earlier today, florida senator marco rubio from the same state as this guy said he had no comment on redel's drug bust. >> senator, can we ask you about congressman trey redel? >> i'm not going to comment on that. >> hey, don't touch me. do not push me.

[ inaudible question ] >> sorry, guys. >> yeah, i'm not going to comment on that. let's -- >> wow. a united states senator can't render judgment about a guy from his state in the other chamber of the house who got busted for cocaine. i'll tell you what, that's presidential leadership for you, isn't it? folks, this story makes me sick. i'm sick and tired of how there's such a double standard for elected officials in the media let's them right off the hook. there are three issues here. first of all, food stamps. think about this. this guy right here wants to deny people food stamps. he's part of the party, the republican party, that thinks food stamps are just a big budget problem. they wanted to cut $40 billion -- or was it $20 billion -- oh, then they you said upped it to 40.

they want to take away food stamps from veterans. this cocaine user wants to take away food stamps from the most vulnerable in our society. and he wants to test them if they still get food stamps. what's his issue? well, he can do whatever the hell he wants. then there's the issue of drug rehabilitation. this guy says that he is an alcoholic. i don't know what the correlation is between being an alcoholic and going out and buying cocaine. i'm not an expert on that. but i do know one thing. his drug rehabilitation? i'd be interested to know if there is any other media people out there that would investigate exactly what kind of health insurance he has in congress, and will his drug rehab be covered. because there's 50 million people in america who don't have health insurance that he has voted to deny health care that probably might have had their drug coverage. and their rehabilitation covered under the health care plan. the third issue, of course, is leadership. have we gotten to the point in

america where we just expect too much of our elected officials? did he not see the questionnaire? did the people not see the questionnaire? i think it's question number 13. do you think you can stay out of jail? when they're asking for your vote. we've just come to expect too much. this is really a liberal sentence, this tea partier got. i remember anthony weiner. he didn't break any laws. but he sure got raked over the coals by the conservatives, to the point where he resigned. mr. spitzer, who was the governor of new york, stood up, did restitution. stepped out of position, respected the office of governor enough in the state of new york to say, this is not my time. i can't lead. i've damaged, i need to move on. why can't this guy do that? now, i understand that there's a press conference called for tonight at 10:30. what's wrong with right now? why 10:30?

in experience, let me tell you, conservatives, they don't accept apologies. they have a record of that. all they take solace in, is the fact that you have to give an apology. but when it's one of their guys, nobody came out today, not john boehner, not eric cantor. and certainly you saw the tape of marco rubio over in the senate. nobody had the character to come out and say, i think he needs to get out of the house of representatives and go home and take care of himself. we'll get somebody else to represent that district. they just couldn't bring themselves to doing it. because who knows? people in glass houses can't throw stones. i don't know. but i do know this. there is a serious double standard in our judicial system. there is a serious double standard when you start talking about character. and i think it is flat-out gross. that this guy isn't having the book thrown at him, that he

doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to resign immediately. after thinking that people on food stamps ought to take a freakin' drug test. that's what's wrong with the republican party. there isn't anybody in this country that thinks that this guy is really getting justice. and that the way he has voted is fair. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question. should trey redel be allowed to continue to serve as a congressman. a for yes, b for no to 67622 or go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com. we'll bring the results later in the show. and one more thing. ask yourself the question if you're a conservative. is this american exceptionalism? conservatives love to talk about american exceptionalism. part of being exceptional is taking responsibility and stepping out. but this guy is void of leadership.

and he'll be protected. yeah, there's not going to be any right wing talkers out there that are going to think this guy needs to get out. it's just cocaine. just breaking the law. that's all it is. not a big deal. point being here, there is infrastructure to protect people like this. for more, let's bring in talk radio consultant, holland cook and media consultant. good to have you tonight. >> thanks for having me. >> your reaction to trey redel's arrest and how this could play out in the sound culture. i lived in washington for 12 years so i got called up for jury duty a couple times. and one of them was a drug bust so you're not kidding about this double standard thing. and it was only until a few years ago that members of congress were bouncing checks with immunity at that house bank. so the double standard thing is obvious. i think the florida voters are going to have their say. suppose this happened last week with the storms ravaging upper

midwest. this might have been a florida story. >> actually, it happened just before halloween but they kicked it under the rug. which is another issue, i think, the republicans, the conservatives always squawking about transparency. what about this? this seems like it was managed to the point where maybe i'll see if i can get out of this thing and wiggle out of it. it's not that big of a deal. that's the impression i get on this. >> if they pick this date for it to pop, they don't get media relations at all. because it's a slow enough news week that it became a national story. ra he's playing it better than rob ford who ought to just shut up. whenever you have bad news to manage, get out in front of it and don't suffer death by a thousand cuts. he's got that part down. >> should this guy resign? i think he should resign. i'm consistent. i said that anthony weiner should resign. i was also critical of the congressman who had $90,000 in his freezer down south who was a democrat. those are three democrats that i have said on record should step

aside. this guy needs to step aside. but, of course, there are no standards here. here's the point. big companies can in america, they don't mess around with this kind of behavior. why does the congress? why is there an avenue for this guy to come back. don't throw it off on the voters. the voters should have at least some expectations that the people that they're going to be voting for can at least stay out of jail and not get arrested. and, of course, abide by the laws they, of course, raise their right hand to uphold. >> there's your narrative. why can't we run the government like a business? and private enterprise, this guy is out the door. >> absolutely. he's out the door. okay. who is going to defend him? from the standpoint -- the right wing talkers. i think if this gets enough attention that they, of course, will back off and say -- maybe he should go. >> number one, blame it on the booze. >> o absolutely. >> that makes it okay. >> you know what, he just got -- he just got into congress. >> yeah. >> back in early 2013 of this

year, this was his first term. he's a year into it and he's a boozer. and he's got busted for cocaine. this ain't your job. >> and his whole at which timer act is about hip-hop. so he's played into that culture. what happens next is, he's going to go to the well of the house floor, make a big apology. and, because he's from florida, he will then reiterate the apology in espanol, and then you can hold your breath until he says the word "jesus" because he's going to go to church. and then he's going to find whoever the new oprah is. is it megan, is he going to go on fox news? >> i think we learned a little bit about marco rubio here too. you mean to tell me that rubio couldn't turn to the camera when he was asked and say, i don't think anybody should be buying cocaine. there's presidential leadership for you. and this is a guy who has gone after president obama, time and time again, on leadership. now we find out when the hot

camera is on, rubio has nothing to say about one of his colleagues from florida who has clearly broken the law and pleaded guilty to it. >> you're right about the body language. from a media standpoint, this printing away from the camera thing just looks guilty as hell. stop and say something. >> holland cook, good to have you with us tonight. remember to answer tonight's question at the bottom of the screen. share your thoughts on twitter at ed show and facebook. we want to know what you think. coming up, save the date. january 15th. republicans are manufacturing a new crisis for the new year. but first, michele bachmann pitches the opportunity of a lifetime. act now, while supplies still last. and

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so. >> this is about the happiest i've seen members in a long time. >> literally -- >> you think you're happy now. wait until you hear this. >> president is getting pummeled, it seems to me, by the mainstream media. >> the right warned about obama care. >> surely, you can't be serious. >> right. >> there was no katrina warning. >> i am serious. and don't call me shirley. >> i'm not hearing the negativity. >> president bush did not create katrina. >> we all look like geniuses now, because we predicted this would happen. >> what else you got, einstein? >> we hate to say we told you so. well, apparently the queen of the tea party is delighted about obama care's rocky rollout. congresswoman, michele bachmann said obama care's problems are the opportunity of a lifetime. because liberalism is crumbling right in front of our eyes. i'm glad to see michele bachmann is so happy about a law's problem. i think it's fair to call

michele bachmann att anti-american. >> the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a . i wish they could. i wish the american media would take a great look at the views of the people in congress and find out, are they pro america or anti america? >> yeah, are they pro america or anti america? 30 million americans will get life-saving health care thanks to obama care. 45,000 americans die every year because they don't have health care. president obama, the democrats created a law that begins to address this travesty. under obama care, people's lives will be saved. it's an absolute. and i think it's fair to say that michele bachmann wanting to deny 30 million americans health care is anti-american. i think it's also fair to say, michele bachmann, wanting a law to fail is anti-american. joining me now, salon.com's join walsh. joan, good to have you with us

tonight. if he they want to have fun making analogies we have them all day long. what do you think of michele bachmann saying obama care's problems are the opportunity of a lifetime? >> i'm delighted to be here with you, tonight, ed. and i'm delighted michele bachmann will be leaving us soon. you know, it's so, so awful. this is all they have. all they have is waiting and waiting and waiting for a democratic program to fail. and the idea that she could be delighted, that she could be delighted by the fact that people might have a delay in getting health care. i'm sure she is delighted by the millions of americans who won't get medicaid because republican governors won't be expanding medicaid. she is delighted by human suffering and i'm delighted to say goodbye to her. >> absolutely. you know, these comparisons that are -- i think with mainstream americans just outrageous. i think the majority of americans don't see any correlation whatsoever. but i think the media has been so anxious to find something on president obama and pin it on

hip, whether it be the benghazi or whether it be the irs, all of these hearings that darrell issa has had that have amounted to absolutely nothing. now if they can turn the american opinion against the president and say that this is failure, this is their big rose in the garden. >> well, right. i mean, we lived through them trying with benghazi, right? it was all over. in may, it was all over for this president. he had benghazi, he had the irs scandal. and he had some actual legitimate problems with investigate -- over investigating journalists, right? it was over for him. that was the trifecta of obama's scandals. look, we have talked about it. there are problems with the implementation of this law. but we also know that the problems are worse in states with republican governors and that the program is working relatively well in states where people want to make it work. so they have obstructed it from the beginning and now they're delighting in its stumble. >> it doesn't have a specialty of profoundness when the

president of the united states openly says that republicans are invested in seeing this law fail. that's almost unprecedented for a president to come out and target on a law as a reaction from what the opposition has been doing. is that winning favor of the american people? do you think the american people are on board with something like that, that that would give this some momentum? that they don't understand the opposition, because of so many people being helped by it? >> well, for one thing, we're seeing a lot of the polling data breaks down sort of the way you expect it to. republicans are happy that it's failing and are still against it. core democratic groups, women minority -- people of color, younger voters, are still mostly okay with it or mostly -- and certainly cheering for it. so there are no surprises there. i think -- i mean, i don't think there are any surprises. i guess i am happy that the president is belatedly, in my humble opinion, targeting republicans and making it clear these are the people he's been trying to work with from day one

who have been rooting for him to fail -- they started plotting before he took office and have kept it up for five years. >> the republicans have never admitted that obama care will save lives and never brought anything to the table that will save lives. so we have to ask, do they care if american lives are saved? >> no. they don't care. ted cruz today had a little hissy fit when chris cuomo, another network, cnn, did his job, and pushed him on what is -- okay, you don't like obama care. you're trying to repeal it. what is your alternative? ted cruz accused him of lecturing me. or you're lecturing me this morning. thin-skinned little man without any alternatives. big ivy league degrees. no policy shots at all. >> republicans comparing iraq and katrina. your reaction to that to obama care. >> it's immoral. >> they have lost their moral compass, haven't they? >> people died in -- thousands of americans died in a necessary war. hundreds of thousands of iraqis and 1,800 in katrina. >> well, who -- and i think

that's the question now to reverse it to them. who has died because of obama care? who? people died because of katrina. people died because of iraq. a war of choice. who has died because of obama care? >> it's not a matter for them of life and death. and sadly, for a lot of our friends in the media, they don't seem to care either. they're really interested in a kind of tit for tat political strategy, he's suffering and could have handled it better. that is equivalent to somebody ignoring a great city drowning, and sending people off to fight a war under false pretenses. those are equivalent. because politically, all we can do is score the game. all some of us can do is score the game. >> so the word to the obama administration now is what? get real techie and fix this thing? i mean, if they don't, obviously the negativity is going to spiral out of control. it really -- and i was in florida the other night listening to a speech by young joe kennedy, just in the

congress. very impressive. very well-researched. he made a very profound comment. i think i might have said this last night too. the democrats aren't going to let 50 years of work, you know, fall apart because of a website. but, of course, we as a country have the patience to wait for this to work. >> i think we do. but this is politically -- it could be a hard one. >> well, look. we can just look at the last month. a month ago, you and i were saying we wished -- i'm going to be honest here. we wished the mid terms were next month. now the pendulum has swung and tough to be a democrat right this minute. but these are policy questions. and these are moral questions. they're not merely political questions. and, yeah, they've got to get techie. they're getting techie. they've got to be scrupulously honest with the american people about what the problems are. and they have got to hang tough. >> well, i'm looking forward to just a couple weeks before the midterms next year. because i think the number that's going to be on the board is going to be well into the millions. >> i think so too. >> i think that what are the

conservatives have to say about this number? do they want to take health care away from this many millions of people who i believe are going to sign up for obama care? the stories are going to multiply. when neighbors find out what their other neighbor is getting, better coverage, less deductible, and a lower cost, you know, we're consumers. americans are consumers. we want a good deal and you're going to get it with obama care. some rates for some people, obviously, are going to go up. not everybody's situation is the same. but the majority of people -- >> vast majority. >> the vast majority of people, the rates are going to go down. the coverage is going to be a lot better. we're going to have more people covered in america, and we're going to get better outcomes. i know this is over the five across the street. i know it is. and i know they need five people to talk about it. i just need joan walsh. you know what i mean? joan walsh, stick around. another big story coming up out of texas i want your take on. coming up, rick perry's wild west show hits on washington. and later, winter is coming.

paul ryan takes on the role of mr. freeze. but next, i'm taking your questions. "ask ed live" is next. stay with us. ya know, with new fedex one rate

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into the future. ♪ welcome back to "the ed show." love hearing from you. love your questions. thanks for all the tweets. we appreciate that. "ask ed live" segment tonight. our first question is from tammy solars. and she wants to know, here we go. when will harry reid fix the filibuster. maybe never. seriously. i know there is a lot of conversation about it right now because of the three judges filibustered in washington, d.c. in the circuit court. but the closer harry reid gets to the midterm, the more dangerous it is for it to blow up in his face. if he was going to fix the senate rules, he should have done it in the beginning of the session of this congress, because a lot more could have gotten done. so i'm not real sure right now that harry reid, even though some senators have moved over saying, yeah, i think we should changes rules. not so sure harry going to

do that. next question from nancy r. wants to know what happened to compassionate conservism. i've maintained the position that's an oxy more ran. that never happened. compassionate conservatism? certainly the tea party doesn't go together. a 5-year-old kid in san francisco was part of a make a wish -- of course, he has cancer. and he wanted to be batman. and 50,000 people in san francisco responded to it, to bring this kid's wish. to fruition. so, here comes ted cruz and darrell issa, tweeting out about what a wonderful story this is. and how just fantastic it is. but they forgot the other kids in this country. who are going to be affected by their vile attitude towards health care in this country, with vote after vote after vote. to say no to obama care. that probably would have helped hundreds of thousands of other

kids that might be in the same position as that little guy. it's a heck of a story. but for all the wrong reasons that ted cruz and darrell issa were talking about. they're trying to gain political favor. they don't care about kids who don't have insurance. compassionate conservism, it doesn't exist. stick around. rapid response panel is next. i'm mandy drury with your cnbc market wrap. stocks down as the fed considers pulling back on a stimulus program over the next few months. the dow losing 66 points. the s&p falling 6 and nasdaq 10. the cost of living edged down in october. fell by .1%, driven mainly by lower gas prices. retail sales rose, as americans flexed their purchasing power on items like cars and dining out. and existing home sales dropped for a second month, down 3.2% in the month of october. and that's it from cnbc first in business worldwide. [ male announcer ] your eyes.

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welcome back to "the ed show." i've said it before. very easy to put forth. george w. bush was the most successful conservative president ever. for a number of reasons. number one, bush put two hard core conservatives on the supreme court. of course, gave tax cuts to the wealthiest americans. bush may have gone, but -- he may be gone, but his legacy still there in the form of the supreme court. you don't have to look further than his home state of texas. on tuesday, conservatives ref e refused a request from planned parenthood and the aclu to intervene in the ongoing legal battle over texas's extreme anti-abortion law, hb-2. the law has already forced a third of the state's abortion clinics to shut down operations.

researchers at the university of texas estimate that next year more than 22,000 women from mostly low-income and rural areas could be denied safe and legal abortion under the law. but to be very clear about this, this just isn't about abortion oh. this is about restricting women's access to basic health care, because the clinics republicans are targeting provide a heck of a lot more than abortions. in a state where more than 25% of the population is under 65 is uninsured, many women are force ohhed to rely on planned parenthood for affordable access to mammograms, cancer screenings, contraception and basic preventive care. you know what they say, everything in texas is bigger, even the attack on women's health. joining me now, our rapid response panel, sarah slayman, women's rights activist from texas and joan walsh, salon.com. great to have you both with us tonight. sara, you first. when this bill first passed, you

said you considered leaving texas. you planned to stay there and fight and what has been the response of women in the state to this? >> to answer your first question, yes, we just moved into our new apartment. today, actually. i'm going to be staying in texas to make sure that there is some change in state leadership and hopefully wendy davis will be our next governor in texas. i think that we always expected it to get kicked up to the supreme court. but with enough attention, and grass roots activism, we expected the focus on the harms and unconstitutionality of this law to lie very clear. and so that's why it's shocking, once again, to be left in the eternal ping-pong between two bush courts, like you just mentioned. the supreme court of the united states and the fifth circuit court in texas that rules over us, mississippi and louisiana. the people are exhausted. we have done our part. and that's why i join you in demanding reform of the

filibuster in the senate. we cannot allow another generation to be saddled with these 5-4 ideological votes. we need reform now. you know, i read a really encouraging article today that some female senators are open to change. just because the senate lives by 18th century laws does not mean that the rest of the united states and that people in need of abortion should live by 18th century laws. we need you to not just be open to change, we need you to be the change now. >> sara, how big of an impact is this going to have in the next election cycle, in texas? is this the issue that could really turn the majority of women against the republicans? >> i think every day we're meeting republican women who are saying, i am so uncomfortable. i have no place left to go. i want to vote for wendy davis. we're already seeing that on the ground in texas. we already know there's 400,000 undecided women voters in texas. so, yes, i think you want to look on top of the governor

rejecting the medicaid expansion, we have the most uninsured children in the state of texas. it is largely women who care for those children alone, working low-wage jobs. when senator harry reid said we shouldn't focus on 20-week abortion bans, we need to focus on working-class issues, i have some news for you, mr. reid. women are part of the working class. we are 63% of the low-wage workers in texas, okay? this is not a fringe issue. ask the women in albuquerque. ask the 20,000 people you just mentioned who will be in need of abortion services in texas if it's a fringe issue. i don't think we have anywhere left to go but up. i think we have hit the bottom in texas when it comes to the denial of health care access based on discriminatory standards like race and sex. we have hit rock bottom. >> joan walsh, this fight is far from over. could this be the turning point? >> i think it's a turning point, ed. sara is a microcosm of what is happening, right? progressives felt they needed to leave texas, because no place for them there.

sarah was on her way out and she stood up to protest the hb-3 ii. she was marched out by four state troopers. she became a hero to feminists nationwide. and now she is staying. and you're seeing women across the country be electrified by wendy davis' filibuster and saying we are not going to leave texas women on their own anymore. and texas women saying we're not going to assume this is a red state and that we have no rights in this state. we're going to stay and fight for our rights. >> well, these clinics that are closing down, obviously do a lot more when it comes to abortion. i mean, the cancer screenings, mammograms, all of these things. and if 63% of low-wage workers in texas are women, how can this not be a sea change? and we're seeing this from around the country, this rash of anti-abortion legislation that's being pushed by radical right legislators. would this -- walk the democrats right back into the power in the house? i mean, i know it's texas. and i know it's a gubernatorial race. but it's also a statement that's

being made by the republicans in pockets of the country, you can only think this is exactly obviously what they want nationwide. >> well, you know, i think we saw the way this issue played out in virtginia where women wee awakened and not only women, but people saw the extremism of the republican party in virginia. and said they weren't going to have it anymore. i think we're going to see that in texas. and you know, the thing about texas, they were the petri dish for this infection of conservatism. karl rove practiced on texas, started by taking out ann richards out of the governor's office and went on the redistricting they did there, focused on democratic women. they got rid of five women in the legislature. and they have put in the most conservative, the most reactionary and the most anti women state house, you know, possibly in history. and women -- and their male allies are slowly going to take that back. i don't know that we can do it in 2014. it's possible. but we can't do it ever if we don't start trying.

and the idea that texas is going to someday eventually go purple and then blue, it will, but it will happen faster if national democrats get involved and help texas people do it themselves. >> all right. joan walsh, sarah slaman. great to have you on "the ed show." we'll have you back. you're a fresh voice, no question about it. and with a lot of enthusiasm and common sense. and i appreciate the fact that you went oafter the senate talking about the filibuster. that's really what it's going to take. if we're going to have change in this country, the senate is going to have to change the way it does business, because all of the obstruction that has been put out there by the republicans. thank you so much. still ahead -- >> winter is coming. >> so is another government shutdown. and you can call paul ryan mr. freeze. people don't have to think about where their electricity comes from. they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does. using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes.

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hannity's dear friend ran into some trouble this week. >> george zimmerman is back in the news tonight. he's been arrested after an alleged domestic dispute in florida. police say his girlfriend accused him of pointing a shotgun at her during an argument. zimmerman has been charged with aggravated assault, battery, criminal mischief. >> zimmerman, of course, denies that. but george zimmerman is just so unlucky, the cops, they just seem to be always picking on him. >> since zimmerman was acquitted on charges of second degree murder four months ago, he's been pulled over in texas for speeding, cited in florida for a traffic violation. and two months ago, police responded to a fight between zimmerman and his wife, shellie. >> no charges were filed. they just don't see zimmerman the way his buddy, sean hannity, does. >> there has been this rush to judgment by so many. if this was some type of racially motivated killing, and george zimmerman does not seem to fit the profile -- the bounty

on zimmerman's head -- >> right. >> the bounty on george zimmerman's head. there is a bounty out on the head of george zimmerman. we don't know. and i want to emphasize that. we don't know. i want justice in this case. kn. i want justice in this case. >> he had called shawn hannity of fox news directly, not through us. we believe he spoke directly with shawn, off the record. and he's not even willing to tell us what our client told him. >> i did speak to mr. zimmerman. i'll keep that conversation private. >> what a pal. he wouldn't leave him hanging now, would he? if shawn hannity doesn't do everything in his power to defend his good old friend george zimmerman, can he keep on pretending. 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

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welcome back to "the ed show." this is the story for the folks who take a shower after work. so here we go. on july 15, the government is going to shut down again? republicans have no plans to prevent it from happening? you don't have to take my word for it. >> january 15 is a day that will put us at the front door of another budget shutdown if we do not come up with a budget. >> we shut down the government for 16 days. for the first time in 17 year, a conscious decision to shut down government. >> we stand ready to fix those problems, but republicans want to play politics with the

affordable care act with the expense of the priorities of the country. >> america is rightfully disgusted with the congress of the united states. >> the democrats are singling out one guy for the stalemate, the championship for the budget committee, and that is paul ryan. he is failing to present a proposal as the clock particulars closer to the deadline form a bipartisan deal. he is putting the government at risk for another government shutdown. they say ryan is in charge of the negotiations and he should take action. >> the republicans are now chairing this confence committee. it's their turn. they're in charge. and although we've put our priorities forward, we have not seen any plan, not any plan from our republican colleagues. >> and more news comes today. we're going to be in afghanistan for a few more years. david stockman, director under

president reagan joans us tonight. great to have you with us. it gets worse. now afghanistan is back on the table. that means a heck of a lot more spending. the defense budget is the big elephant in the room that everybody's got to address. how's this going to work out? >> i think it's going to work out to the disadvantage of everyone in america, but especially progressives. what's really going to happen this time is a bipartisan punt. republicans are in a different mode. they are now shielding for the defense department, running around with their hair on fire, saying the pinprick that is sequester on defense can't be absorbed. it would be dangerous. frankly, in the year 2000, defense spending was 400 billion in today's inflation adjusted dollars. that was before the huge bush build up and the wars of invasion, occupation, et cetera. le but with 400 billion, we were in good shape. we didn't have any threats and

the world of military, industrial states that could harm american security. today, after the pinprick, it would be 600 billion. in other words, they're trying to take it back to 650 billion, more than 50% higher than we got along with that worked in the year 2000. now the democrats are saying, okay, we'll give you the defense back, but we want our domestic spending back. and they're wrong, because if you take domestic discretionary spending when bill clinton left, that he wasn't starving the budget, it was 400 billion. and it will be 575 billion after the pen prick. so therefore, progressives ought to figure out how to call the bluff of the republicans, let the defense department be cut deeply, because it needs to. the cold war is over 25 years ago. >> mr. stockman, wouldn't it be a good strategy for the democrats just to go with the

american people and go with the populace view that nobody wants to, in fact they're talking about extending social security b benefit, increasing them, that these cuts are going to have to come from defense, the majority of them. just go with the american people. >> absolutely. and that's why, frankly, they should let the sequester happen. that's easily absorbable, more than, less than is called for at this time. let the domestic discretionary go by. and then recognize the issue on medicare and social security is not the 55 million people getting it. it's the several million affluent retirees who can be getting up to 50,000 a year in social security -- >> you think that ought to be changed? >> means tested instead of going for an across the board cut from the chain. >> i hate to make it sound like a business, okay, but you've got

to get to this number here. this is a number that we've got to get to, whatever that number might be. but nobody wants to give anything up. and we've got this ideological logjam over budget talks. how do you break it? >> i see no chance that it's going to be changed. that it's going to be broken. i think the republican also continue to say no taxes, more defense. >> shut down? >> shut down city. i think the progressives are so dug in on all of social security that they're letting retirees in florida living on a golf course somewhere get these huge checks that we can't afford, so. >> you've got something for rich people out there who are on medicare. >> well, exactly. >> that's a cut that you would definitely get after. >> absolutely. >> that's a definitive answer. >> do you think there will be

another shutdown? >> i think it's unlikely this time. i think they're going to have a bipartisan punt and move on for another crisis. >> that's it for "the ed show." politics nation starts receipt now. good evening, and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, they just can't help themselves. today another republican let the cat out of the bag. it's not just they don't want president obama's health care law to succeed, they are actively rooting for failure. congresswoman michelle bachman smells opportunity. >> i think we have an opportunity of a lifetime right now, because just as jeff said, we are watching liberalism crumble in front of our eyes. what we have is the fantasy thinking of what obama care was going to be versus reality. >> now denying health care to millions who need it is the opportunity of a lifetime. ho