♪ good evening, americans, and welcome to "the ed show" live from new york. let's get to work. ♪ >> we want to invite you to have lunch with us every day for the rest of the week. >> there is a myth that there is such things as a free lunch. >> where is your lunch? >> to instill in them there is in fact no such thing as a free lunch. >> self-respect permeates every aspect of your lives. >> i'll get that cleaned up lickety-split. >> you get rid of the unionized janitors and pay local students to take care of the school. >> please, sir, i want some more. >> there is in fact no such thing as a free lunch. >> what? >> what? >> what? >> don't simply feed fish. >> all the food groups are

represented. >> i feel like an idiot. i'm apparently the only person not getting free school lunches. ♪ hungry like the wolf, hungry like the wolf ♪ >> good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. you know, there used to be a time when facts mattered, when you said something, you could back it up with some facts. we got facts for you tonight on the people that are going to be hurt in this budget deal. talk about hurting folks during the holidays. one thing that i just can't wrap my head around is why would anybody vote for a bill that they know is going to hurt a fellow american? why would you do that? why wouldn't you take something out of the defense budget. okay. we're not going to buy as many guns this year, or we're not going to have as many flight hours. why is it we have to have a bill that has been passed in the house and in the senate, the president is going to sign it, and we're going to hurt

americans? at this time of year businesses get together and they say well, you know what? we've had a pretty good year. what do you say we have a cocktail after work. let's go have a party. we hit the bottom line. numbers matter. and numbers matter to these 1.3 million people that are going to be left behind. and all we have is a factsless statement from republicans that oh, we're going to work with you on this. oh, yeah, really. some of the rhetoric they have thrown out today is unbelievable. so the fact is we really have nothing to go on right now when it comes to making sure people weren't hurt in this budget bill. the clock is ticking. people got bills to pay. how would you feel if you in your heart, you have done everything right. you're in your late 40s. you're in your 50s there is a big discussion out there in america about employment discrimination at the age of 50 something and beyond. it's hard for people to recycle back into the economy. so let's say that you are now in a predicament.

and you've seen this budget, and you've run out on your unemployment benefits. would you feel like a winner or a loser? how would you feel? would you feel like people are standing with you? it's the holiday season. why do we have to have ice in our veins? we can find this money, but we didn't. well, now we have another opportunity. make it very clear, over the last week, we have made it abundantly clear on this program that this budget deal, it's bad for a lot of reasons. for 1.3 million reasons. that's how many reasons there are. end of discussion. but there is more. on wednesday night, of course we know the senate passed this thing, this bipartisan budget bill that leaves the unemployment line going to be getting longer. on december 2th 28th. i did everything i was supposed to do. but they run out now. i'm going get hurt. they don't know why. do you think they feel like the

country cares about them? democratic senator jack reed and republican senator dean heller. well, here we go. it's this new spirit over the holidays. we have a republican and a democrat, which is encouraging. they have introduced a three-month unemployment extension. hold it right there. this is great. two guys have decided to get together from one side of the aisle to the other side of the aisle to do something that everybody says that they really were going to do. but this is the time where we're going to find out whether the republicans were lying or not. this is their opportunity to do something. and when they came out with this, they put up this chart today. long-term unemployment is now at 2.6. that's right. it's double the rate of past jobless benefits when they have expired. plus you throw in income inequality. this is not a good chart. democrats plan to pass the

unemployment extension in the new year. so they pick one guy to get on board to do something about it. i can't wait to see how many republicans really come out and say we've got to do this. senate majority leader harry reid tweeted something out today that really caught my attention. he tweeted out and said that the republicans are holding unemployment insurance extension to an unreasonable demand that we withdraw all pending votes on nominations first. aren't they just wonderful people? the very time they're saying that they're going to help these 1.3 million people, this is what is happening. republicans are holding unemployment extension hostage to an unreasonable demand, meaning they've never had to go through this before that we withdraw all pending votes on nominations first. meaning the republicans are saying we don't give a damn if barack obama wants to hire some people and put them in the place to do government's work like in

the court system. we don't care. you want unemployment insurance? the buck stops right here. the president is not going to get whatever the heck he wants. nominations to have to stop first before we solve the 1.3 million people from getting hurt. this proves you cannot trust mitch mcconnell and john boehner. they want to obstruct the president of the united states, tear down the poor, and do nothing for the economy. but we're going to believe them? you know what they got? i don't know about you, but i got a flu shot the other day. i'm not going to get the flu this year. i'm totally confident. do they have a shot for vulturitis? because these republicans, they still have vulturitis. look at that chart. this goes to 2009. we're really cutting the republicans a break, because we haven't extended it out to 2013. we'll do that next year when we come back, okay? this is still the best model they have. you know, republicans have no plans to address income inequality. there is poll out there after

poll out there that says this is one of the biggest things americans are concerned about. so basically, what we have seen here is we have seen the republicans wage war on women. we've seen them wage war on the voting rights. and now they're waging war on the poor. it's the holiday season. feel warm and fuzzy yet? on saturday, republican congressman jack kingston of georgia said school children, well, they've got it too easy. kingston wants kids to learn that there is no such thing as a free lunch in life. now hold it there. i have been talking recently about what do the republicans have for the 1.3 million people. what are they going to do. we know how they lie. we know how they want to hold everything hostage. but here is what this guy told the jackson county republicans at a meeting about the federal school lunch program. here is his plan. >> but one of the things i'm

talking to the secretary of agriculture about, why don't you, you know, have the kids pay a dime, pay a nickel to instill in them that there is in fact no such thing as a sweet lunch, or maybe sweep before in the cafeteria. and yes, i understand that would be a administrative problem, and i understand that it would probably lose you money. but think what we would gain as a society in getting people getting the myth out of their head that is such thing as a free lunch. >> think about that. these republicans don't have a clue what it's like growing up poor. they don't have a clue about what it's like for a kid. now, we've had a lot of stories on all the networks and the media about bullying, haven't we? about kids going to school and bullying other kids. what do you think it would be like if his kid had to go sweep the floor? do you think kids might bully his kid, you got to sweep the floor if you're going to eat lunch.

now, kids aren't that way, are they? let's get real. kingston's argument is absolutely absurd. first off, the kids already get their lunch free. their parents give them the money for it. i don't know of any little kids in elementary school or wherever that pay for their own lunch. his plan would simply humiliate the less fortunate children in school. but remember all those republican govern governors, they're experts when it comes to reform education. now he takes the cake. we should point out this guy wants to be this the united states senate. he is running for senator saxby chambliss's senate seat. cruz would have something to go to lunch with. they can sweep the floor together. this isn't the first time. let me point this out. this isn't the first time a georgia republican has suggested that poor children clean the schools. here is newt gingrich during the 2012 republican presidential primary. >> say to somebody you shouldn't go to work before you're what, 14, 16 years of age.

fine. you're totally poor. you're in a school that is failing with a teach they're is failing. i tried for years to have a very simple not model have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. i tell you what, it's always the unions' fault, isn't it? let's get rid of the union janitors, bring the poor kids in, have them sweep, and if they sweep well enough, we'll feed them lunch. if they do it twice a day we might start with breakfast too and a little extra orange juice. these people are nuts. they don't have a clue what this country is all about. and it's a good thing for school children everywhere that newt gingrich's campaign didn't fail, it totally failed. and his tv show is not doing very well either. this isn't just about school lunches, folks. republicans attack the poor every chance they get. they consistently go after

medicaid, food stamps, unemployment, and other programs that lift people out of poverty. now this is a real i told you so moment. what we have seen in recent days is ryan talk about hostages. we've seen mcconnell talk about hostages. we now have an ultimatum given to harry reid that if he wants to do unemployment insurance, you know what he's got to do? stop nominating people. earlier today john mccain said he wanted to help the unemployed on the senate floor. >> why don't you let us at least have a debate and vote on an amendment. some of us think this program can be improved to help those who are unemployed. but no, the way the senate runs today is that it's either take it or leave it. and i'll tell -- i'll tell the chair, and i'll tell my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, we're getting sick and tired of it. we're getting sick and tired of

the dictatorial way that the united states senate is being run. >> no, senator, you missed the script. you should have said we're getting sick and tired of helping out people that can't get a job. what is with mccain? one of the biggest priorities the american people have is addressing income inequality. when was the last time you heard republicans out of the blue all of the sudden be so concerned about unemployment benefits? but now after they get the budget that they want, that gives them election protection, and there will be no shutdown, now that they're back talking about hostage-taking we have to go out and say oh, we're really tough to the republicans because we haven't given them a chance to put an amendment in to help out the unemployed in this country. give me a break! get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question is do you remember republicans ever caring about the unemployed? text "a" for yes, text "b" for

no. you can always go to our blog at ed@msnbc.com. for more on this, let me turn to my friend congressman john larson of connecticut. good to have you with us tonight. >> good to be with you, ed. great, great introby the way. >> well, thank you, sir. you add to it. you're now taking over "the ed show." what do you think? what is going on here? >> the other thing, is this is all the underpinnings for the true message. and when they talk about entitlement reform, this is what really cuts i think to the core, and democrats especially. but people all around the country, whether you're democratic, republican, independent, green, tea party, it doesn't matter. entitlements. let's be clear about one thing. social security and medicare are not entitlements. >> they're earned benefit programs. yep. >> this is the insurance that

you have paid for. as you see what they're setting up here as we head into the new year is to go after this. and the hostages they want to take are presidential appointments, the debt ceiling debate again. and then what they would call entitlements, which are actually the insurance that people have paid for and have earned. it's called the federal insurance contribution act. and we have got -- and the public needs to be educated about this. they're already there. i believe that to be the case. and to listen to the litany of things that you just went through, it's hard to decide whether it's scrooge or the grinch or maybe the gingrinch. >> it's all three under the tree. >> you have to laugh at it because you know clearly gingrich is intelligent enough to understand that that's not

the case. jack kingston is a better person than that. to blame things on the janitors and the children. that's where the problem is. that's the problem that exists here. >> congressman, i've been asking this question on this program. what is the plan that the republicans have? why would they pass a bill that would hurt people? why would congress do that? okay. so there is the political reality of it. i understand that. but you're still passing a bill where americans are going to hurt in this economy. and then they say well, they're going to come back and work with you on something. yeah, if you stop the nominations. yeah, if we can pick a hostage. this is -- this is why americans hate washington. >> they do. >> this is the whole thing. because those 1.3 million people have paid their taxes. they're trying to get back into the economy. there is checks and balances to the unemployment insurance that is out there. yet they're called takers by one party in this country. and if we don't call them out on it consistently, it is not going

to change the thinking of the american people to not stop putting pressure on these people. >> who are they holding hostages? they're holding the american people hostages. >> the most vulnerable. >> the most vulnerable amongst us. ed, you made another salient point at the -- in your opening dialogue. and that's this whole issue of people you said between the age of 50 and 65. those people near retirement age, those people who are wondering am i going to get laid off, am i going to have a job, will i be able to matriculate and find another job. and at a time when -- here is the republicans talking about teaching a work ethic. how about working yourselves. how about staying in congress and getting the job done. how about a jobs bill that if it was put on the floor would be passed tomorrow. how about an infrastructure bill that would get about rebuilding the country, putting people back to work. roads, bridges, school systems, et cetera. these are things that are neither democrat or republican. they're very much american.

and this is why, as you point out, the americans are so angry, because they see congress down here twiddling and diddling and not getting much -- we take great pride -- and listen, i'll be fair about this and say this was at least a compromise that got us moving in the right direction, far from what we need to be. and we need to do this. >> they've got short-term memory loss is what they've got. >> exactly. >> congressman john larson, you a great holiday. it's grade to have you on "the ed show." thanks for speaking up. i appreciate it. >> thank you. remember tonight, remember to answer tonight's question there at the bottom of the screen. share your thoughts with us on twitter and at ed show. we always want to hear what you have to say on this. coming up, senator ted cruz quotes the movie "spine tap" to describe the budget deal. plus, the conservative media is defending a "duck dynasty" patriarch for nasty comments. stay with us. ya know, with new fedex one rate

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time now for the trenders. social media going on out there all the time. this is where you can find us. facebook.com/edshow. twitter.com/edshow. and ed.msnbc.com. find us on the radio, siriusxm monday through friday. you can find out about the ed tour 2014. first stop ft. lauderdale february 8th. the ed show social media nation has decided. we are reporting. top trenders voted on by you. >> hello, cleveland! >> the number three trender, amplified. >> this is a president who initially campaigned on hope and change. the new tone has been nasty partisan politics. >> what we do is if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do? >> ted cruz taps some movie trivia to criticize democrats.

>> as they say in "spinal tap". >> ours goes to 11. >> if you can see, the numbers all go to 11. 11, 11, 11. >> and the nasty partisan politics from this administration really does go to 11. >> does that mean it's louder? is it any louder? >> well, it's one louder, isn't it. >> the number two trender. precrime fighters. >> we arrest individuals who have broken no law. >> but they will. >> texas cops are getting warrants before kriemts are even committed. >> i have a warrant in my pocket that says murder. >> a texas court ruling lets cops play psychic. >> police obtain a search warrant based on a prediction of a certain crime. >> don't you really want to know? >> i'm placing you under arrest for the murder of sarah marks. >> and today's top trender, duck and cover. >> i think things go crazy redneck up in here. >> and a "duck dynasty" star put on indefinite hiatus. >> in an article in gq, phil

robertson called homosexuality sinful. >> what a weanie. >> fill was very graphic and frank in describing that point of view. >> conservatives shoot down criticism of "duck dynasty's" big star. >> this is a classic example of the word police. >> and you made it very clear he prefers heterosexual sex to homosexual sex. >> right. i got that feeling. >> that's why he is so popular because of how he says these things. >> this political correctness that has gotten malignant. >> sarah palin wrote those intolerance and taking on the "duck dynasty" patriarch for voicing his political opinion are taking on all of us. >> the fact that they're legitimate and rural and country folk and bible folk, let them be. >> joining me now, liberal commentator and comedian john fuguele saying i could fill hours on. this what do you mean let them be? no discrimination of the pre-civil rights era, and he didn't see it? give me a break there is a lot to unpack here. no question about it. phil robertson, "duck dynasty,"

fabulous show because people watch it, right? 8 million people watch. it's a big property for a & e. but they are justifying what this guy said. they are defending it. >> yes, they are. well, let me start off by saying i love "duck dynasty." i think it's great. i acknowledge i've seen civil war reenactments less staged than this show, but it's very fun. the issue here is that phil is claiming his bigotry is backed up by christianity. >> he even calls himself a bible thumper. >> well, then bible thumpers need to get thumped with the bible some time. being gay is natural. hating gay is a lifestyle choice. jesus never said anything about our gay brothers and sisters. st. paul is taken out of context in romance. that's not about gay consensual sex. the fact is if phil lives by what is in leviticus, he is abominable for eating shellfish that shrimp cocktail is every bit as abominable.

this guy is violating the bike. >> this is not just a comment. this was an explanation of a belief system. now, a & e has put him on the sideline for a while. although it won't affect this season because they have already taped it. people will be watching starting in january saying oh, i thought this guy got suspended. no. they're going to play this year and then next year he is not going to be on the program. but a belief system. how is a & e going to bring him back and be associated with this guy? it's not like he is sorry. this is what he believes. he is is the patriarch of the family. how do we know he hasn't taught this kind of belief system to the rest of his family. where does it leave all this? >> i'm shocked as you are that folks in this show would have homophobic beliefs. and by the way, good to gq for having this interview. i'm looking forward to having the honey boo boo cover of vogue. he has the right to do this. his free speech is completely protected. but the thing about being grownups is there are consequences for what you say. no one is inflinging on his free

rights speech. >> he has the right to say it or but doesn't have the right to a tv show. >> the business he works for has the right to protect their investment and not alienate their sponsors and audience. >> do you think that because of his belief system, i got a call on this today, and i thought it was rather intriguing that he may just be trying to blow up the show, that he has had enough doing it, and he thinks that maybe some other people in the family are getting a little too grandiose in their lifestyle? >> no, i didn't think that. i thought the gq interviewer went fishing for something controversial. it's not a huge shock he said it. i would like this to be a time for mr. robertson to open it his heart, recognize hating gay is the opposite of christianity and maybe he could be a real leader in terms of accepting people. >> is this rural america? >> it's some rural america. but you know this. there is lots of great, good-hearted conservative folks who have no problem with their gay brothers and sisters because they follow the teachings of jesus. >> but the conservative commentators are defending him.

they're giving him license to go out there. it's almost like they're playing him as the victim right now. they're all in chorus on this. >> well, that's one of the defining characteristics of fundamentalist christianity. no matter how fundamentalist your religion, christian, muslim, jew, there is some things use you've have in common. the more violence is okay if my side does it, and the more you put down gays and the more you play victim. ed, on his last worst day, jesus didn't play victim the way this guy's fans are playing. >> so how does a & e bring him back? they send him off to counseling and change his belief system? that doesn't happen. they're going to say just don't say that stuff anymore? >> they're going to use the show until the ratings go away. a & e will chew them up and spit them out when they're done. the guy seven said at the end of the interview it's not my place to judge. it's a little late for that. >> john fuglsang, great to have you with us tonight.

>> you bet. coming up, a potential political rival takes a shot at hillary clinton's iraq vote. still ahead, online news macmagazine politico needs to work on its comparing and contrasting skills. next your questions live. ask ed coming up live on msnbc. we're right back.

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johnson. she wants to know how was that turkey dinner with wendy and the president? well, we didn't have dinner with the president. the president last night at the white house was there, you know, with michelle, the first lady, and they were taking pictures as we go through a line and what not. now i didn't go there to socialize last night. i mean, i'm up front about this, folks. nobody in the world cooks turkey like the guy at the white house. so i went right to the turkey bar when i got there. i went to the turkey bar three years ago. i went to the turkey bar two years ago. and i didn't let tradition end. i went there last night. it's really kind of cool. they've got great food there. you wouldn't believe the budget they have to feed the media and everything. it was kind of cool. so we went and took our picture with the president. the president asked my wife wendy how are you feeling? does ed no that i've been asking about you? she said yes. well, you look beautiful and you're healthy and 100%. it was a neat 30 seconds, okay. so that's what we did at the white house last night. and if they invite me back next year, i'm going right back to

the turkey bar. stick around. rapid response panel is next. i'm veronica de la cruz with breaking news. a theater collapse in central london leaves dozens of people injured. the theater was packed about 700 people for an evening performance when the collapse occurred. it happened at the city's famous apollo theatre located in the west end. at this point officials say seven people were seriously injured. more than 70 others were also hurt. al those who were trapped inside have been freed. police say it is unclear what caused the collapse. stick around. ed will be back in just a minute. n. open to innovation. open to ambition. open to bold ideas. that's why new york has a new plan -- dozens of tax free zones all across the state. move here, expand here, or start a new business here and pay no taxes for ten years... we're new york. if there's something that creates more jobs, and grows more businesses... we're open to it. start a tax-free business at startup-ny.com.

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i have to push for the answer about whether or not you might run for president. >> but i haven't made up my mind. >> you really haven't? >> i really have not. i will look carefully at what i think i can do and make that

decision, you know, some time next year. >> welcome back to "the ed show." you heard it, folks. get ready for another year of speculation and rumors about the future plans of former secretary of state and first lady hillary clinton, and senator from new york at one time. the former secretary of state was named barbara walters' most fascinating person of 2013. but it sounds like we'll have to wait until 2014 to get an answer. gosh, that could be a few weeks, right, by the calendar. at this point it's clear clinton is considered the leading democrat for the 2016 race. but that hasn't stopped other potential presidential hopefuls from testing the waters, like former montana governor brian schweitzer. schweitzer sure sounded like a candidate during a speech in front of hundreds of people where he took a thinly veiled jab at clinton about the iraq war. schweitzer said i didn't vote for that war, and i didn't think it was good idea. and george bush got a bunch of democrats to go to that war. i was just shaking my head in montana.

though he didn't mention clinton by name, it's pretty clear who he was talking and taking aim at. according to the des moines register, after his speech, asked about clinton's votes, schweitzer answered with a grin on his face, did she vote for it? i didn't keep track. i think there were 21 democrats who didn't vote for it. she might have been one of those. well, actually, there were 23 senate democrats who didn't vote for the war, and hillary clinton did vote for the war. so here we go. the race is on. joining me now, rapid response panel ruth connell for the progressive magazine, and michael eric dyson, georgetown university professor and msnbc political analyst. great to have both you have with us. ruth, is this -- from brian schweitzer's standpoint, is this the perfect way to tell hillary clinton that you know what? there is going to be some competition. >> it's one way. i think he said a few other things that are also very intriguing. he talked about how the

progressives in this country don't want a corporatist to be governor -- rather to be president. i think like you, i have kind of a soft spot for these midwestern populists who are not fans of wall street and who are not afraid to say that as much as there a s a left and right division in this country, there is a top and bottom division. and the democratic party should be more progressive and should stand up for little guy. and i think that's the case that he is making. and i think there are a few other people who are going to get out and make that case. and they're making it against hillary clinton who not coincidentally last week was on a lovefest tour of wall street speaking at goldman sachs, sit do you think with the carlisle group and really indicating she would be a friendly candidate for wall street. so i think there there is a real fight to be made from the left in the presidential primary. and it's interesting to see some people get in the field. >> there is nobody else getting that question. when are you going to announce, are you going to run. no other democrats are getting that question. i've asked howard dean. i've asked bernie sanders. howard dean told me no, bernie is going to run. bernie said i don't know yet.

the intrigue out there right now, michael, is that it's still all about hillary. >> it's hillary 24/7, all the time it's about her. i think ruth is right, that obviously we have some deep sympathies all of us, all three of us for since i'm from the midwest as well in detroit for those midwestern populists who talk about, you know, the poor people at the bottom, who talk about working class people. and then on the other hand, you've got people who are actually electable. now, we face that dilemma all the time. how much do we capitulate to a kind of corporatist conservative agenda that says the things that are must be dealt with, and any politician who has a chance of getting elect shod be placed above the interests of the people. the question is can any populist make a dent on the race in 2016? i think hillary has it lock, stock, and barrel. i don't think much opposition will be put forward. and if she announces, if she does indeed announce, i think

everything becomes about her. and lining up behind her to try to stop the republican who will be on the ticket. >> ruth, does she have to have competition? i mean, and this the -- >> absolutely. >> this could very well happen. there might be just a few others. there might not be a stage of eight or nine people up there at the first few debates on the democratic side. your thoughts. >> well, let's not forget that in 2008 there was an awful lot of talk about how hillary was inevitable. and in fact she wasn't inevitable. and a lot of younger people, a lot of women in fact my age and younger ended up voting for barack obama because he had a more progressive sounding message. and towards the end of the race, hillary started sounding more and more progressive. and actually she surpassed obama in certain ways. she talked about trade and the real problems of job loss in this country because of unfair trade deals. you know, she started to sound more and more left, especially in the upper midwest as she campaigned. and i think we're going see a similar dynamic. in fact, i think it's gotten worse. >> yeah.

>> because young people have now suffered through the crash. they're carrying enormous debt. and this is no joke. i mean, being the candidate of wall street is not an appealing prospect to a yoyrng generation of voters. >> well, it's going to be interesting when her announcement is going to be. it is going to be before the midterm? what president or what person would want to inherit this congress? who knows what you're going to be facing. if the republicans were to hold on to the house, would bit much more inviting if the democrats have the senate and the house to make a run in '16? it's all i think terribly interesting. all right. michael eric dyson, i have to ask you. i just have two words to say. "duck dynasty." your thoughts. >> you know, it's a -- if it sounds like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it's a duck. what we should be doing is ducking out and trying to avoid, you know, all senses and sorts of bigotry. i saw your interview there with john fugelsang. and, you know, he said at the end where he says, well, he left some room for improvement. but the reality is that all of

us, whether it's about race or class or ethnicity or gender or sexuality, we have got to come to grips in 2013 with the fact that this is a multiracial, multicultural nation of all sorts of people. >> yeah. >> and until we make room for everybody, nobody really stands. >> but he did say that he thought that black people were happy before -- you know, before the civil rights movement. basically, that's where he came from. >> you know what, if happy means you're an forced into a disagreeable position because you're trying to undermine the culture, a lot of black happiness was subversive. it was smiling in the face of white people to undermine culture and to resist their politics. so when he looks at happy negroes, he better think again. first of all, when black people sang negro spirituals, they were saying hey, we got to get out of here in time for the revolution to take place. and make all these quilts, aren't they beautiful? and they were pointing to

different ways to get out. black happiness, don't be fooled. >> michael eric dyson, ruth conniff, thank you both for being with us tonight. coming up, mitt romney trying to rehabilitate his image. that stops here tonight. and you'll meet wendy schultz and some of the kids when we come back. stay with us. life with crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis is a daily game of "what if's". what if my abdominal pain and cramps come back? what if the plane gets delayed? what if i can't hide my symptoms? what if? but what if the most important question is the one you're not asking? what if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation? for help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisinfo.com to get your complimentary q&a book, with information from experts on your condition.

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and in pretenders tonight, the big reach. politico news organization dropped a huge misdiagnosis. politico compared president obama's second term with president george w. bush. the comparison is not only premature, it's downright ridiculous. let me remind you what bush's second term actually looked like. >> as we speak, as you say there are people with signs saying help, come get me. nurses are phoning in saying the situation in hospitals is getting ever more dire. they expected, they say to us, that the day after this hurricane, that there would be a massive and visible armada of

federal support. what is taking so long? >> brownie, you're doing a heck of a job. fema director is working. >> major financial institutions have teetered on the edge of collapse, and some have failed. we're in the midst of a serious financial crisis. >> one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect iraq to the war on terror. same folks that are bombing innocent people in iraq were the ones who attacked us in america on september 11th. >> as for a link between iraq and 9/11, hundreds of thousands iraqi documents captured after the u.s. invasion found no evidence of any operational ties between saddam hussein and al qaeda. >> he said all i can tell you is it's a size 10, and they continued to take questions. >> and president obama's second term, well, let's check the fax. the stock market is at a record high. people are signing up for good, affordable health care. unemployment rates are dropping. and this president is just getting started.

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welcome back to "the ed show." this is the story for the folks who take a shower after work. mitt romney is getting the star treatment in a new original netflix documentary. the trailer for the film titled "mitt" shows a softer side of

the massachusetts governor during his run for the republican presidential candidacy in 2012. >> if you don't win, we'll still love you. the country may think of you as a laughing stock and we'll know the truth. and that's okay. >> oh. >> just get beat unconstantly. mitt romney is a flip-flopper, he's this, he's that. is this worth it? >> a year ago we told you we'd love you no matter what. >> now you're not so sure. >> no we're not so sure. >> it gives a behind the scenes depiction of a warm and fuzzy romney and family. but as any observer of romney's 2012 campaign can attest, he had plenty of prickly moments on the trail. >> corporations are people, my friend.

of course they are. everything corporations earn ultimately goes to people. where do you think it goes. >> there are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. >> i went to women groups and they gave us binders full of women. >> over the summer, romney admitted he's haunted by the verbal gaffes he made during his campaign, but blame he media. he told noonan, you'll be taken out of context, clipped, and battered with things you said. this documentary had cameras rolling on romney 24/7. but you can be sure the film is edited. "mitt" will premiere on netflix on january 24th at midnight pacific time. let's bring in united steel workers international president. mr. gerrard, it's almost as if the rebranding has already started and let's go back and teal you what you really missed

with mitt romney. what's your impression of this and the effort behind it? >> well, i think the reality is that mitt romney branded himself by his actions, not by a bunch of phony running an iron over his shirt. the fact of the matter, look at what he did to the workers and said about the 47%. those weren't gaffes. those were putting his beliefs out there in the open. look what he did to the workers. he claims he wasn't there, but he got the profits out of that mess that he created. so i think it doesn't matter what the film is going to say. i think what mitt romney did and what he said tells us who mitt romney really is. and i want to make the point of when they acquired sensata which was a high-tech auto parts company that made sensitive equipment for the auto industry, they told those workers you

won't be here in one year. and they moved those jobs to china. when the chinese people came to take the equipment out and to be trained, they took the american flag down. that was owned then by bain capital. he should have been said we're not going to move this plant. we could make money here. they've been making money here. and we're going to protect american jobs. he can iron all the cuffs he wants, he's still what he is. >> i take this as republicans trying to show they're sensitive and all about family. who isn't all about family? bottom line here is that they're going to have a hard time rebranding what they really do and how they vote and who they are. >> yeah. let's not forget that mitt romney's immigration policy was self-deportation. that wasn't a misquote. that was his policy. and when they want to rebrand themselves, they're rebranding themselves now when you've got paul ryan out there bragging that they prevented more than a million people from getting unemployment insurance

extension. so mitt romney is branded by his actions and his words. not by some phony edited film clips. >> gaffes happen and everybody does them. but blaming the media, is that going to win over some people? >> no, it's not going to win over anybody. they're what he said. look at what he did with the 47%. he was in front of people that were from his economic class. $50,000 a plate dinner. and he's in there saying the 47% of the population are takers and would -- you know, they'd vote for obama because he's going to give them something. i can tell you what. i represent a lot of those 47% people who work in the workplaces every day trying to make ends meet. they don't expect anything for nothing. they expect a chance to earn a decent living. he has no kwex to that reality whatsoever. he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth or as they say, he was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple. >> great to have you with us tonight. appreciate your time. the rebranding of the

republicans is not going to be easy. that's "the ed show." but before we go tonight, i want to share with you the people that i love so much. this is my lovely wife wendy. we were at the white house last night. the president says she's beautiful. i agree. once again the president's got it correct. and our family dave and kelsey. kelsey where are you from? >> north dakota. >> how's that for an accent, folks? and also billy joe and joe and my brother-in-law john and his wife felicia. this is only a fourth of the griswold christmas on the northern tier. look, i love them. they're a wonderful family. and they appreciate you watching "the ed show." we want all of you to have a wonderful, wonderful holiday season. we're heading back to the north country. we'll come to you from detroit lakes tomorrow. god bless all of you. and reverend sharpton, i want you to know my son dave, he wants to introduce the show tonight. give it to him.

>> this is ed shultz and family. this has been "the ed show." up next, "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton. >> thank you. and thank you to the beautiful wendy and the rest of her clan. and thanks to you for tuning in. i'm live tonight from chicago. tonight's lead, developing news. a major, major step toward justice. today president obama the seasons of crack cocaine offenders all sentenced rnd severe mandatory minimum laws. the president said, quote, if they had been sentenced under the current law, many of them would have already served their time and paid their debt to society. they have been committed to correcting the injustices of our legal system. president obama talked about it