watching today. coming up top, you're not going to want to miss this. we have a man who has been through his share of budget battles, my colleague, chris matthews. he will be on at 4:30 tomorrow and coming up right now, "the ed show," with ed schultz. good evening, americans, welcome to "the ed show." let's get to work. >> it would require an act of congress. >> can this congress dig itself out of its hole. >> ooh, sometimes the truth is painful. >> families will take a brutal hit over the holidays. >> i asked santa for a choo choo. >> then good out and get a job. >> those people unemployed, we're just leaving them in the lurch. >> do you personally support extending unemployment benefits? >> the 26 weeks they're paid for, if you extend it beyond that, you do a disservice to these workers. >> what are you, crazy? >> yeah, buddy, i'm crazy.

crazy like a fox. good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. we'll try it again. right there. i'll look you right in the eye tonight and tell you that i support workers in every workplace in america, when it comes to fair share, collective bargaining and the vote. are we crystal clear on that? you know, there's a big calculation going on right now about trust. can you trust what people tell you? i want you to come to this program every night, 5:00 eastern time, trusting what ed says. it's got news, it's got facts, it's got commentary, opinion. i want you to trust. i'll look you right in the eye. lots of trusting going on these days. lots of calculation going on, as well. calculation as to whether we can

trust this guy, right here. because what he has told you is that he'll look at the unemployment benefits in 2014, and you have to ask the question, is there a ledger that we can go by, something that has been built up over time, that we should trust the republicans? have there been some things with me that i have said and done over time that has built up a ledger that you can trust? earlier today, the senate voted 67-33 to advance the so-called bipartisan -- bipartisan -- gosh, they love that word -- budget deal. the senate will hold a final vote tomorrow afternoon. and it's probably going to pass. every single democrat in the senate voted to advance this bill today. voted for closure, end of debate, let's make it real tomorrow. this means that every democrat in the senate voted against

1.3 million unemployed americans. oh! that hurts! how could the democrats have done that? well, there must have been something really good in this bill. and there's a lot of political calculation going on right now that they'll be able to overcome this. that they'll be able to come back and fight for another day. because on december 28th, these americans will stop receiving their unemployment benefits. this is real stuff, folks. this means that there's not going to be any money coming in the door. buy the food. what do republicans want these 1.3 million people to do? what's their advice? a new study released this week shows that the ripple effects could be pretty dog gone devastating. according to the national unemployment insurance law project, unemployment benefits

kept 1.7 million people out of poverty in 2012. now, that's a fact. okay? there's no calculation there whatsoever. that is a fact. it is a hard number that unemployment benefits do good things for americans. the question is, can we find the money to continue to do it? oh, yeah. we can find the money. there's no doubt about that. this number includes, of the 1.7 million, 446,000 children. what do the republicans want those 446,000 children to do? get into the slave labor market? go work for damn near nothing? take anything, beg on the street? clearly, these numbers aren't hitting home with some members of congress. because they're making a calculation that they're going to be able to go back and they're going to be able to fight for another day, and they'll be able to turn this around and deliver the mail.

look in my eyes. do you trust them? do you trust boehner? the democrats are trusting -- think about that. the democrats are trusting republicans to come back in the new year and vote on an unemployment extension. what kind of ledger are we talking about? senate majority leader, harry reid said unemployment will be the senate's first order of business in the new year. >> that would be the first item we bring -- come to when we come back. we have a number of republicans who have stated publicly, including the senator from nevada, other senator from nevada, a republican that will support an extension of unemployment benefits, unpaid for. >> oh. it sounds good. but you know what? there's an old saying in business. you can't eat pr, you've got to show me the money. but it's the first thing they're going to do. and that makes people feel good. except for the 1.3 million

people that aren't going to see the money on december 28th. i'm sure john boehner will approve reid's retroactive extension, right after the 48th vote to repeal obamacare. give me a break. there's no ledger to trust this guy right here. he puts the hammer down every time he can. has he helped out on a jobs package? no. has he obstructed time and time again? yes. has he blamed the president for his economic plan? yes. even though we have had, what, be i don't know, 46, 47 months of private sector job growth? that's not good enough. remember, they still want the guy to fail. but we're going to trust these people. democrats are going to trust john boehner and the republicans to do the right thing for the unemployed in this country. these are the same people who voted to repeal obamacare over 40 times. these are the same people who shut down the government, costing our economy $25 billion. these are the same people who

voted 144 of them, to keep the government shut down. the same people who have no problem holding our nation hostage when it comes to the debt limit. more for the ledger. the same people who voted to cut food stamps by $40 billion over the next ten years. the same people who have blocked every single jobs bill that democrats have brought forward. and the list goes on and on and on. i don't even have time to get to all the nominees that they don't want around. and after this list, it's unbelievable that the democrats can step up and have trust for the republicans to do the right thing, because it's -- [ whistling ] it's going to be a new year. they're going to be a different crowd, those republicans. meanwhile, there is some good news. i want to give credit to the 32 house democrats who voted against the budget.

to me, that's the tough vote. and it was a tough vote for the democrats. but i believe it was the morally correct vote, considering there's no ledger. dealing with boehner. these democrats know that there is no way republicans are going to extend unemployment benefits in 2014. that hurts to say that. so there's a calculation being made, i think, that the democrats will get through this politically. and they'll figure something out. they'll go out and they're going to campaign hard, and they're going to make the folks really feel bad about the republicans. but as i said, you can't eat pr. it takes money to buy whiskey. you know, it could be because they hear this kind of garbage from the republicans. >> i'm a big believer in giving a hand up to people that are down and out, that need something. need temporary assistance. we have created such dependency

on a lot of these government programs that it's more convenient and more lucrative for you not to work and to receive these benefits. >> there are employers up and down the river in ohio that cite, i can't find workers because of the job i need them to do. i can't find people that can pass the drug test. and those people will come in, and they will find out they've got to take a drug test, and they either won't take the drug test, but they'll use that employer signoff to go back and stay on unemployment and use their unemployment checks for buying their drugs. >> there is no way you can trust republicans to come back and do the right thing. when it comes to the unemployed. there is nothing in it for them. the only reason republicans typically vote for unemployment benefits is because it's usually connected to defense spending. so what kind of signals has this guy sent, some smoke signals? to make us all believe that

something is going to be different. i don't begrudge those who voted for the budget. i just don't understand it. i don't understand where this trust all of a sudden came for john boehner. i think the american people are willing to fight for every american. i think that there is an angst out there across the country, where the american people get -- they get income inequality. and they get the unemployed. and they get 7%. and they get the fact that these guys have done nothing when it comes to jobs. they are the problem! they're not the solution. but we're going to trust them. we've got a teal. deal. little too much of an appetite for that right now, as i see it. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question. do you trust republicans to help the unemployed in the new year? text a for yes, b for no to

67622. you can always leave a comment on our blog at ed.msnbc.com, and we'll bring the results later on in the show. for more on this, let me bring in senator barbara boxer of california. senator, great to have you with us tonight. >> thanks, ed. >> if we know that this is going to be a fight for the unemployed, and there will be more in june, another 1.6el in people, million people, and if we know this is going to be a fight, why not just have the fight right now? >> well, that's a great question. and it's something that we did consider. and i certainly could take your position, but i don't because of this reason. this deal left out something very important, which was taking care of the unemployed with a total commitment by harry to make this front and center when we get back. i don't trust the republicans. i do trust the american people. i think they're going to weigh in on that issue when we get back. and i think they're going to weigh in on the minimum wage, income inequality, and a lot of the issues you have been highlighting. but one of the things that we

did do in this deal is we added tens of billions of dollars back into this spending category. that is a fact. over $60 billion over the next two years. and we gave certainty that we're not going to lurch from government shutdown to government shutdown to government shutdown for two years. certainly, it was the best patty murray could do. and i know how hard she worked, night and day. so you know, we have to recognize the fact that elections do have consequences. we need to have nancy pelosi be the speaker of the house. we need grown-ups running the house. there's a lot of power over there. it's not like the senate where the minority has a lot of rights, and who runs that house is critical. so elections have consequences. i don't trust the republicans to do the right thing. but i think we can engage the american people on this, and immigration rights, minimum wage and all the things we can do. >> so it sounds like, senator, the game plan is for the

democrats to come back after the new year and you're counting on the american people to be vocal, to make phone calls, to pressure the republicans, and that's the only remedy right now. that is the remedy right now, to bring the republicans to the table as honest brokers, to do something for the unemployed. >> well, they're going to be forced to deal with this, because we are bringing it up. and we're going to tell the stories that you've been telling. like i have, you know, 222,000 of my people in california impacted by this. out of the 1.3 million. and one of them, a gentleman who wrote to me and said -- he worked at a bank. and he lost his job. and he says -- if this continues, if he doesn't get his extension, he thinks he's going to have to live in his car. this is america. this can't happen. and i do think, once we take care of a little certainty here, that we can focus on everything else. and that's why i am so upset

that paul ryan and now mitch mcconnell say they're going to play hostage-taking with the debt ceiling. i mean, i understand that. >> well, i'll tell you what. you had the deal last week with senator murray and budget chairman ryan. they all said good things. we all understand it. you're exactly right. you point out some very positive things in this budget. but then supposedly trying to be an honest broker, to his own caucus, ryan goes out and starts talking about what they're looking for to get out of the debt ceiling. i mean, this is still the nasty environment of us versus them. and we're always getting gamed by them, until we take them right to the firewall. it's a hard place to be. i know it's a hard place to be. >> but we're going to take them to the firewall. we're going to put these issues before the american people. and we're going to win that vote. we've extended unemployment compensation, ed. >> i love your confidence. >> many, many, many times. i have to go back and check. it's just -- >> yeah. >> many times, we have extended

it. under republican presidents and democratic presidents. and i think we're going to get it done. because it's an overwhelming story to tell. and we're going to bring the faces right to the american people. >> i want to play this clip, senator. of minority leader, mitch mcconnell, today, making threats about the debt ceiling. here it is. >> okay. >> i doubt if the house or for that matter, the senate, is willing to give the president a clean debt ceiling increase. every time the president asks us to raise the debt ceiling, it's a good time to try to achieve something important for the country. the debt ceiling legislation is a time that brings us all together, and gets the president's attention, which with this president, particularly when it comes to reducing spending, has been a bit of a challenge. so it's a long way of saying i can't imagine being done clean. >> can't imagine it being done clean. >> well, he's in for a big shock. because the fact is, you don't get paid a ransom for doing your

job, ed. and our job is to pay the bills. and president obama is very firm on this. we're very firm on this. we know they threatened to default twice already. the first time it cost us $19 billion. the second time it cost the economy $24 billion. it's another way to shut down the government. it gives angst to the markets. the market in 2011 went down 2,000 points. it's the whole business community up in arms. so i just can't imagine why they have done this, other than to take away the pressure we're putting on them to extend unemployment compensation, raise the minimum wage. but i think the calendar works against them. because i think this debt ceiling won't come up maybe until the spring. and we will have time to press on these issues. and we're going to need your voice, really. >> well, senator, you and i have been friends a long time. i have a lot of respect for you. this is what the debate has to

be. >> yes. >> we've got to sort this thing out. i am an advocate for those meeting the basics in life, and having a chance to get back. >> of course. >> into the economy. and i just think it's -- it's a tough vote, but i think it's the wrong vote. and i hope you turn around and hold them hostage on the farm bill. >> yeah, but ed, could i just say this? if you love a no vote, you love republicans. because republicans voted no in the senate. only a few voted with us. so this thing is not as straight forward as you might spin it. may i say. but i'm going to show you, and prove to you that when we do get back, and the nation is riveted on this, you're going to see maybe some different outcomes than you're predicting today. >> but those republicans who voted no on this want to cut everything. their motivation is 180 from where your motivation is, and where your heart is and where the democrats really are on this issue. and i do think the american people get that. senator, great to have you with

us on "the ed show," i appreciate your time. thank you. 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, more colorful commentary on the santa race debate from the right wing media. plus, democrats lay out the progressive playbook for obamacare. 2014. stick with innovation. stick with power. stick with technology. get the new flexcare platinum from philips sonicare and save now. philips sonicare.

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there. nation has decided, we're reporting. here are today's top trenders, voted on by you. >> let's keep it real! >> the number-three trender. santa con. >> people want to believe the reality that's most comfortable to them. >> for all you kids watching at home, santa just is white. >> they don't want to live in a world where santa is black and reindeers gay. >> we've got too damn many urban thugs, yo, you need to have a gun, and we need to see some dead thugs littering the landscape in atlanta. >> adds his color commentary to the santa race debate. >> i'm sorry. santa claus is white, okay? deal with it. i'm going to scream and complain because martin luther king is always portrayed as black. whankts did you just say? >> it just ain't right. >> the number two trender. papa, don't preach. >> rush versus the pope. >> this is just pure marxism coming out of the mouth of the

pope. >> the pope responds. he says the marxist ideology is wrong. >> right wingers continue their attack on pope francis. >> he literally went after, quote, trickle-down. >> the pope is ripping america. the pope ripping capitalism. they are recognizing this guy as man of the year for one reason. he did a big hit on capitalism. >> i as a catholic agree with rush that the pope sounds like he is against capitalism. >> they name him man of the year because he attacks capitalism and ticks me off. >> it's very trendy, it seems to me, to attack capitalism. >> and today's top trender. repeal and replace. >> i want to repeal the law of the land. is that clear? >> drop my coverage, deny my care, raise my costs. >> democrats go on obamacare offense for 2014. >> the affordable care act is a -- right up there with social security, medicare, affordable care for all americans, as a

right, not a privilege. >> how much of a liability do you think this will be for democrats in the november 2014 mid terms? >> i think it's going to be good for them. i think we're in pretty good shape. >> the democrats stand tall in support of the affordable care act. >> don't let -- >> don't let -- >> don't let insurance companies do whatever they want. >> joining us tonight, senator sherrod brown of ohio. >> good to be back. >> give us insight. what is the obamacare offense for 2014? >> well, the offense is to show and begin to tell stories about people getting benefits from the affordable care act, seniors that now save $700 on their prescription drugs, a 25-year-old who has -- 23-year-old who had cancer in cleveland, who has been on their parents' health care plan. the fact that seniors are getting -- getting preventive care without co-pays or deductibles, free screenings. telling stories about

individuals, many of the hundreds of thousands of ohioans and kentuckyians in other places going on medicaid or going to be in the exchanges or getting health insurance when they haven't had it for much of their lives. the telling stories and the president needs to talk about the minimum wage. hasn't been raised in six years. president needs to talk about unemployment insurance. this is -- this is social insurance. people pay in when they're working, people get assistance when they're laid off. that's what insurance is all about. and the far right may not like social insurance, they don't like medicare, don't like social security, don't like unemployment insurance. but all of it works for middle class and works to give people the opportunity to join the middle class. >> senator, as i view this, in swing states, the call by the democrats is going to be, okay, do i support obamacare? do i take it to the firewall? as a candidate to win a house position. to win a senate position. where obamacare has been embraced, how can you not run

with it? >> well, i think you do run with it. i think you make it larger than that. it's about giving opportunity for people to get health insurance if they don't have it. it's about the fast food workers and workers in dayton the other day. none of them make more than $9.50 an hour, none have insurance. and only one out of the seven people there knew they could sign up for health insurance under obamacare. it's telling that story. and the more people like that get insurance and benefit from these consumer protections and get a wage increase or get their unemployment insurance, the more they tell that story, the more we tell that story. and the more people that benefit, the better we're going to do. >> isn't there a danger here, though, senator, for the democrats that some would really embrace it, others in the caucus may not? because they might be coming from a red state? or a state where a republican governor has not implemented the

medicare opportunity for consumers in their state? you know, these governors that have rejected it? i mean, it's going -- isn't it going to be hard for some democrats to really embrace it and others not to? >> well, perhaps. i don't judge my colleagues or potential colleagues in how they do their politics in their states. but i'll just go across from cincinnati, look across the river to kentucky. >> sure. >> governor in that state, been on your show before, ed. that governor asked two of the farthest right republican members of the senate that have done huge -- tried to inflict huge damage on obamacare. he's already signed up tens of thousands of people on medicaid. he set up the exchanges. people in kentucky have stories to tell. that's one reason mitch mcconnell has a great chance to lose, because people in his state by election day are going to see that this thing he's trite to block lying down in front of the car to try to block, it's working for kentuckyians. we're going to see that in state after state after state.

the quicker we need into that by telling stories of how this health care law works for a huge swath of citizens, including helping to stabilize health care prices for people who have private insurance coverage that they're keeping, as most will, they're going to benefit from it too. so that's going to be increasingly clear. when medicare was introduced in 1965, it was very controversial. social security came in, it was very controversial. a year or two or three years later, people look back and say, hey, this is working. that's the way affordable care act is going to be. >> senator sherrod brown of ohio, good to have you with us on "the ed show." appreciate your time. thank you. coming up, fox news seems to have a new contributor. house oversight committee chairman, darrell issa, is doing some straight work to destroy obamacare. still ahead, bill o'reilly needs to practice what he preaches when it comes to journalistic standards. he lands in pretenders tonight. i can't wait. but next, i'm taking your questions live on "ask ed live" on msnbc. we're right back.

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welcome back to "the ed show." love hearing from our viewers and our "ask ed" segment. deborah mary jackson says which congress member should get a lump of coal from santa? well, you've got a lot of candidates, no question about that. in fact, i don't even think there's enough coal to go around. you would go broke on your shipping and delivery charges from north dakota, because you would have to bring all of the coal for these guys. i would probably give a lump of coal to mitch mcconnell. it's those filibusters, it's all that obstruction. he deserves a lot of it. our next question is from longa williams, and long that wants to know, what will santa bring you for christmas? that's the exciting thing. i don't know. but i'll take either 100 lead or jet a. stick around, "rapid response panel" is next. i'm morgan brenna with your

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welcome back to "the ed show." it's no secret, congressman darrell issa, california, has been waging a permanent taxpayer-funded witch hunt on the obama administration. this guy, chairman of the house oversight committee, issa, has

tried and failed to manufacture scandals wherever and whenever he can. there's sew lan dra, fast and furious, benghazi, the irs and now his sights are on obamacare. issa's latest fishing expedition was on full display monday at a house oversight committee hearing in dallas, texas, titled, who are the navigators? in reality, navigators are the people who help others oh sign up for obamacare and understand the process and what's going on. but at this point, it should be clear, darrell issa doesn't live in reality. >> these individuals, these so-called navigators, don't follow any of the rules that every state in the union has for insurance people. so the idea that they're bonded, they're identified, they're fingerprinted, anything that would cause you to know that they're not felons and identity theft perpetrators simply hasn't been done. and we saw that in the hearing today. this is basically just another

form of community organizing paid for with your tax dollars. a.c.o.r.n. revisited, if you will. >> a.c.o.r.n. revisited. that's right, a.c.o.r.n. revisited. you heard him. the only similarity between this and a.c.o.r.n., james o'keefe and his questionable conservativive activism. o'keefe used undercover actors as potential enrollees to record navigators in texas, releasing video in which navigators advised the actors to with hold information about income and lie about tobacco use. you may remember o'keefe's a.c.o.r.n. videos, were found to be deceptively edited. o'keefe was forced to pay $100,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former a.c.o.r.n. employee found in the video, sounds like exactly the source darrell issa would rely on. on sunday, secretary of health

and human services, kathleen sebelius responded, writing, what opponents of the new law could not do legislatively by shutting down the federal government they're now trying to do through other means. monday's congressional hearing in dallas is designed to stifle, intimidate, and impugn the reputation of people who have been working hard to help their fellow texans get covered. it's about a battle going on, folks. joining me now, our rapid response panel, msnbc political analyst, david corn, and dr. corey hebert of the lsu health science services. great to have you with us tonight, gentlemen. this is getting real interesting. david corn, wherever you need to hunt, just take darrell issa with you. he's got a nose for everything, doesn't he? >> maybe for snipe hunting. >> there you go. what ground does darrell issa have to stand on right now.

>> this just reminds me of that game at the arcade, whac-a-mole, hit whatever they can take a swing at. first it was the not-working website. well, that, you know, has taken care of itself. so they can't complain much about the website, right? and then cancellation policies. it turns out a lot of people who got those notices are now getting better and cheaper care. not everyone burks a lot are. so that's not a big issue. so now they have seemed to have found two-and-a-half gators out of hundreds if not thousands who have said things on a tape that may or may not be true. the thing is, in any system that involves hundreds if not thousands of people working there, you will find people doing something wrong. either purposefully or not purposefully. nevertheless -- >> david, doesn't o'keefe kind of -- kind of changed the texture of all of this? >> well, yeah. listen, no member of congress should base a congressional committee investigation or charge or oh even go on fox to

talk about what james o'keefe has done. if they -- listen, i'll give darrell issa some credit here, believe it or not. i think they raise real concerns. you want to make sure that there are private and security concerns that are dealt with. the navigators are well-trained. and i would love to see congress backstop and do real oversight on this. but relying on james o'keefe is not competent oversight. >> that's a new one on me. i didn't know people in the insurance industry were fingerprinted. that's a new one on me, dr. hebert. tell us about these navigators. could the program be implemented without them? >> you know, these navigators are essential ground forces. and it can really not be done without them. you can go to a foreign country and don't have a person that is your tour guide if you want to. but you cannot actually navigate this thing without people on the ground trying to make it happen. i mean, let's be real here. darrell issa has as much

credibility as kardashian, in my opinion. if he took that money he's been spending doing everything else and going around the country, and use that money, he could buy 753 mris for the people that live in the states that don't accept the medicaid expansion. that's what he needs to talk to his people about. >> well, that is interesting. you bring that up. i mean, these hearings aren't free. he complains about federal tax dollars being spent. >> exactly. >> his traveling circus is costing, what, question mark? go ahead. >> i was going to say, listen, let's cut to the big issue here. they went to texas. texas has the most number of uninsured americans in the whole country. they have almost 5 million people uninsured and the most number of uninsured children. does darrell issa -- any of the texas republicans who went oppoon the hearing with him, helping people? one of them, i think on fox last night, said the navigators, they're trying to get people on medicaid, which is a federal subsidized program. so how dare they do that. i mean, it's just nuts.

these people don't seem to care about their neighbors who don't have insurance. >> doctor hebert, isn't it rather hard to lie on medical records? >> it's very hard. it's very hard to lie. >> when somebody comes into your office and they are a medicare patient, medicaid patient, either one, i mean, the information in the medical community is pretty tight. doctors would know if there is something fraudulent going on. >> right. and we monitor that closely because of medicaid fraudulent activity that happens all of the time. look, we have to think about this. if we publish the entire republican party for the comments of a few right wing activists, i mean, there wouldn't be a republican party or a darrell issa. so we just have to remember, this stuff is tight. the medical establishment has -- we worked very hard to keep our security things tight. and this is yet again once again something that is just trying to bring down obamacare. and once again, this is a law, not a policy.

>> although, david, he refers to it as community organizing. >> exactly. and, you know what, i'll tell you what. there is nothing really wrong with organizing a community to make sure their community constituents get affordable health care. >> the bottom line is, they do this, so that people can get health care. that's why they're doing it. they're not organizing people to vote or to -- for political partisan activities. it's like there are people out there in the community, they may not have computers. they may not be comfortable with computers. they may need more attention, and a little more help in getting through this. and that's what they're there for. and this is what darrell issa and the others are objecting to. >> i think there should be part of the obamacare offense of 2014. i think the white house ought to roll out some of these navigators and follow them with a camera and show what kind of day they're having, and who they're helping and what they do. and how they got selected. i mean, i think this is part of the story. you snow? >> that needs to happen. the story must be told. because it will be fought and fought until people hear the

true story. >> yeah. >> but the story is going to keep shifting. the narrative is going to keep shifting because as obamacare moves forward, and as it seems to be working better and better, you know, the republicans are going to get more and more desperate over what they're going to attack. so harry reid is saying, come 2014, this may not be a liability for the democrats. it might be an asset. he might be right. it might not just be spin. >> david corn, dr. corey hebert, great to have you on "the ed show." thanks much. >> thank you. still ahead, new jersey governor, chris christie, could be -- he could be abusing his political power and burning bridges. we'll have at least -- at least he's good at shouting them down. . seeker of the sublime. you can separate runway ridiculousness... from fashion that flies off the shelves. 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. chris christie is facing a road block in any potential run for president. christie is being accused of abusing his political power by causing a massive traffic jam just a few weeks before he was re-elected as governor of new jersey. all but one lane of the traffic to the george washington bridge were abruptly closed for no reason and no warning. nobody had any idea why. wall street journal reported that the lane closures had had been ordered by one guy. a former republican mayor and activist who happened to be an old high school buddy of christie. and when he was asked about his involvement earlier this month -- >> i worked the cones actually.

unbeknownst to everybody, i was actually the guy out there. i was in overalls and a hat. i was actually the guy working the cones out there. you really are not serious with that question. >> reports now say the lane closures were governor christie's retribution against the mayor of fort lee. the mayor is a democrat who repeatedly declined to endorse christie in the governor's race. bob shrum joins us tonight. a rather unusual story. your first analysis on how the governor handled that answer. i thought pretty clever. >> well, it was clever. but more trouble as more information has come out. it was evident he was cruising to re-election. the hero of hurricane sandy can look like a political hack by running a patronage bloated revenge seeking administration. beyond that, we know that christie's a bully. we've talked about it before.

he's surrounded by bully boys, it turns out. if he carries that into the primaries in 2016, he's going to be in real trouble. americans tend to elect presidents who are likable in public. you have to go back to richard nixon to see someone who seemed to come from the dark side. maybe before he announces a run for president, he ought to take some anger management classes. >> as this story boils, if it turns out that he was the power behind all of this, that last answer that he gave rather clever, is that a denial? >> i think that's a denial. he's left the impression he didn't know about this. but it was actually two people who have been forced to resign now from the port authority in new jersey who are very close to him who are being very well paid. the other thing that's important here is this is only the beginning of the vetting process. we're going to find out a lot

more about this guy, about his record. about his spending habits. the country's going to find out that someone who may seem too moderate to right wing republicans is actually reactionary on a whole range of issues that americans in the mane stream care about. reactionary on human rights. flip-flopped on immigration reform. he was for it. now he's against it. and his economic policies in new jersey have been romney-esque. they help the top 1%. give short to the poor. >> i guess you call this new jersey traffic gate. >> bridge gate. >> well, how would this be investigated? who would have the power to investigate the governor's office to find out if he did something like this? >> well, i think the democratic legislature is holding hearings on this. i think they will find out a lot more about it. >> but they'd have to get into

the e-mails. they'll have to get into the phone records, conversations, stuff like that. >> look, ed. if there was an e-mail or a piece of paper that said we need to close these lanes down because there's a traffic hazard, we have to check for it, we have to rebuild something, you can bet that would have been put out by the christie administration already. there's no such piece of paper. the fact is they were mad. they can't stand opposition of any kind. as i said, they were cruising to re-election. and this guy who's the mayor of fort lee was a democrat who was supporting a democrat who was running a doomed campaign. why would they go out and do this except if it's in their dna to try to take revenge on people who oppose them. >> it speaks to his arrogance and power if this is the way it is. it's one of those -- isn't this kind of like a small hole sinking a big ship? i mean, you know, there's a drip, there's a drip, there's a drip and all of a sudden you're

at the bottom of the lake. >> and there are going to be more holes. because people are really going to look at this guy's record. >> yeah. bob shrum, great to have you with us. that's "the ed show." "politicsnation" starts right now. good evening, rev. >> good evening, ed. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, smear factor. the health care law is helping millions of americans. so what does investigator in chief congressman darrell issa do? try to gin up a health care scandal. he's on an obama scare road trip. holding one-sided hearings trashing the law. his latest hearing in texas was an excuse for republicans to attack the so-called health care navigators who explain the law's provisions and help people sign up. >> the purpose of navigators is to explain obama care to people andil