"the ed show" with ed schultz. good evening, americans, and welcome to "the ed show" live from the north country. detroit lakes, minnesota, where it was 24 below this morning. let's get to work. >> we should have a very happy new year. >> indeed. >> income inequality is one of the biggest issues out there in america. >> there's 61 american billionaires who aren't even qualified to make the forbes 400. >> yeah, i do all right for myself. >> the numbers are staggering. you can be worth $30 billion and not be in the top ten.

>> sheldon edelson spent $8 million on negative ads. you've got to really dislike me to spend that kind of money. >> okay, then. we hold the world ransom for -- $100 billion. >> the red liners, the vultures, they're rolling. >> one person said, you know, you come to us who have been blessed, who are wealthy, and yet we sense perhaps the pope is less than enthusiastic about us. >> indeed. good to have you with us tonight, folks, thanks for watching. well, here we are. 2014. we're going to stay on top of the issues that matter to you and what we have culturally done

here on "the ed show" on msnbc. issues like workers rights, voting rights, women's rights, and protecting the middle class. the central theme in all of this is income inequality. the issues of income inequality are going to be the central theme moving forward in the 2014 midterm elections. you can't get away from it. nothing has changed and the focus, i believe, is only going to intensify. since the early 1980s, the income of the top 1% has gone through the roof. this is our favorite chart, we're going to update it soon to bring you the latest since the great recession. and, of course, workers' wages have flatlined. how can it not be an issue? well, here's the twist, the leader of the catholic church is now a central figure in the fight against income inequality and the fight for fairness globally. it is pope francis. he has had no problem calling out the wealthiest citizens of the world. the pope has denounced trickle

down economics and warned of a new tyranny caused by the idolatry of money. some wealthy people, well, they're not too happy with the pope's comments. and they are on the attack. on monday, home depot founder and devout catholic ken langone told cnbc the catholic church is in danger of losing donations from the wealthiest folks. well, keep in mind the guy is worth $2.1 billion and is also a republican fundraiser. langone, well, he said a potential seven-figure donor is very concerned that the pope's statements criticizing market economies are exclusionary? they're concerned about that at that level of income? the donor reportedly is upset with the pope for attacking a culture of prosperity that leads some to become incapable of feeling compassion for the poor? really? compassion for the poor really

dictates to people whether they're going to give or not. or is it maybe a tax incentive? the pope, let me state emphatically, i don't believe is attacking free markets. he's attacking greed. he wants wealthy people on the planet profiting off the capitalistic system to step forward and pay their fair share. and you may say, well, what is the fair share? langone, well, he went on to say that he's raised this donor's concerns with cardinal timothy dolan. dolan spoke about his conversation with langone on cnbc. >> he said, now one person said, you know, you come to us who have been blessed who are wealthy and, yet, we sense perhaps the pope is less than enthusiastic about us. and he said we need to correct that. and i said, well, ken, that would be a misunderstanding of the holy father's message. the pope loves poor people he also loves rich people. he loves people, all right.

and he's not into the condemning game for anybody. his famous renowned statement now, who am i to judge? >> this isn't the first time that the pope has been attacked or misconstrued with his statements when it comes to income inequality. here's what the right wing media was saying a few weeks ago. >> the pope is ripping america. the pope ripping capitalism. the pope ripping trickle-down economics. >> i personally do not want my spiritual life mixed up with my political life. i go to church to save my soul, it's got nothing to do with my vote. pope francis has linked the two. he's offered direct criticism of a specific political system. he's characterized negatively that system. i think he wants to influence my politics. >> if you are wealthy, if you're doing well, you have an obligation to those who are less

fortunate in our system. the fact that ken langone and the right-wing media feel the need to respond to the pope, i believe, means that they are very defensive and not on solid ground on the subject. they know exactly what the pope is talking about. and they shouldn't be upset because the rich, well, had a really good year in 2013. for instance, this guy, republican donor sheldon adelson, jumping to $15 billion a year. it's a 16% increase in one year. it's fair to say that a obama economy is working out for the top 1%, wouldn't you think? it's time to focus on improving the middle class in this country. what are we doing about wages? it has to get better for the workers in this country in our country, america, if we are going to move this economy forward. but have you noticed every time we talk about income inequality, every time we talk about raising

wages, every time we talk about helping the middle class, we all of a sudden get the straw man argument from republicans in this country. well, it's those lazy people sitting on the couch that don't want to get a job. well, it's those folks who simply don't want to go better themselves and get back in the economy. well, it's those folks who are just flat out lazy. in fact, we're going to call them takers. we're going to say they're moochers on the system. what the pope is talking about is that there is greed. and your measurement of greed is when wages flatline for the majority of americans and for the top 1% they go through the roof. how many examples does this country need to see? but here's the issue, people are now feeling it more now than ever before. and it's playing out the unfairness right in front of our eyes. it knocks down one domino after another. so we're going to have a vote for the unemployed coming up on

monday in the senate. so we're going to try to get the republicans in the house to do something about that. it's the culture of not caring that's being developed in this country on steroids. we are teaching a young people generation that, you know, it's okay to be a hard-liner. that that is the way to go. no. this country was not built with that kind of mindset. this country was made great because we were willing to take the shirts off our back for our neighbor when times were tough in america. we can't get away from that. and i think in a very direct way, the pope is talking about that. how do you tell a corporation that they're making too much money and they've got to do better? when the public speaks out and the pope is speaking out. get your cell phones out, i want to know what you think. tonight's question, should wealthy conservatives quit whining about the pope? text, a, for yes, b, for now

67622. you can go to our blog, we will bring you the results later on in the show. let me bring in e.j. dione of the "washington post." you are the first guest on the ed show in 2014. >> what a privilege. happy new year, ed. thank you. >> well, you have always been a guy to tell it like it is when it comes to the downtrodden in america to have a real moral fiber and be willing to discuss that. and i think that's what the pope is doing right now. i think he is sending a message to the world that greed is real. and you don't have to look very far to find it. what's your reaction to all the criticism that he is taking from the wealthy who now say we're being turned off by this conversation. >> well, first of all, i think you should issue an invitation to have pope francis on the show. because you have been putting out there for people to see,

lots of stuff. i am really struck by these reactions. you talk about them as defensive, which i think that certainly is there. but also, this sense that if anybody raises any moral criticism of the system that made them rich. this is somehow an attack on them. are they going to ask church officials to change jesus' words. jesus said it'd be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of god. the christian faith has always had a certain skepticism about wealth. and the catholic church has always had a critique of unbridled capitalism. not the market as you said earlier. but of unregulated capitalism, capitalism without redistribution, capitalism without fairness to workers. this is a very long tradition. and for those who say suddenly the church, the pope is making

it about politics, i didn't hear them complain when catholic officials were talking about issues like abortion or gay marriage that happened to benefit the republican party in those circumstances. so it really is very situational about when they criticize the church. >> you know, e.j., watching very closely working in new york, the mayor's race develop over the last year. and last summer, all of the candidates were really grouped up. there were about seven candidates that really had a legitimate shot to become the mayor of new york. but what broke away for bill de blasio was the fact that he was willing to talk about wages, he was willing to talk about income inequality, and he runs away with the election. here he is yesterday in the inaugural speech not running away but talking about income inequality. here it is. >> we are called to put an end to economic and social inequalities that threaten to

unravel the city we love. >> our march towards a fairer, more just, more progressive place. our march to keep the promise of new york alive for the next generation. it begins today. >> i think that he is sending a message to every progressive in this country who wants to get elected that this is the template. i ask you, will income inequality be a biggish in this year's midterms? what do you think? >> oh, i think it is a big issue in the election. this morning's financial times, not a notoriously socialist newspaper, the london paper has an editorial on inequality that begins by quoting pope francis and says that these distributional issues need to be taken very seriously. so something is going on out there when the financial times

are going to write an editorial about that. and i think de blasio did capture a mood not only in the city, but around the country, but certainly in new york city where inequalities are obviously very broad. and there were a lot of middle class and even rather well off middle class people in new york, very expensive city who did sense, you know, who felt this as well as all the folks in the city who were poor. although, i've got to say today, i hope bill de blasio is out there riding a snowplow in queens. nothing undoes a mayor like a snowstorm not dealt with. he's got to be practical about solving basic problems and keep the inequality issue front and center at the same time. >> there is no question about that. great to have you with us tonight. look forward to having you with us in 2014. >> same to you. happy new year. >> you bet. i think that income inequality will be the central piece when it comes to the conversation in the midterms.

the republicans can't run away from the numbers. they can't run away from what people are feeling across america. and when they see the wealthy get wealthier and they see them gaming it big time and not investing back into the economy and creating american jobs the way they have the capability to do. and we sit here on the verge of a free trade agreement that would gut even more american jobs, who are we? what are we doing? what can we do in 2014 to turn this thing around? this is the year, i believe, that republicans are going to be on the defensive all yearlong. and this is the year that the democrats are going to have to have the responsibility not to be afraid to talk about income inequality. not to stand -- not to be afraid to stand up for the little guy, to talk about wages, to talk about collective bargains, to go forward with all of the things that made our economy strong that built a great american middle class. it can't be just for a few. remember to answer tonight's

question at the bottom of the screen, share your thoughts on twitter at ed show and on twitter. coming up, ducking the heat, cast members of the "duck dynasty" move into 2014 largely unscath unscathed. plus, the do-nothing congress puts its trust in john boehner to help the unemployed this year. well, let's sing happy new year all over again on that one. we're gonna be late. ♪ ♪ ♪ oh are we early? [ male announcer ] commute your way with the bold, all-new nissan rogue. ♪ try align. it's the number one ge recommended probiotic that helps maintain digestive balance. ♪

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and creating something brand new. >> colorado now has the most regulated system to sell recreational marijuana in the world. >> colorado goes green. >> there are at least 17 recreational marijuana sellers open in denver. colorado estimates almost $600 million in sales this year. >> an ounce will be $320 before tax. >> taxes expected to bring in $67 million in revenue. >> i remember when a dime bag cost a dime. >> the number two trending, bubble bursting. >> what's your father doing tonight? >> i'm fixing to go crazy red neck up in here. >> i was watching fox news, probably. >> the robertsons discuss their duck dynasty. >> what did you think of a&e's decision regarding your father? >> we're just glad to be back to work and a&e and us are fine. we're ready to move on, you know. and the family's happy and ready to go. >> everybody happy, happy, happy.

>> we'll be blessed. >> in today's top trender, get to work. >> this has been a very stressful holiday season for those losing their unemployment insurance benefits. >> republicans have thrown unemployed americans under the bus. >> you get nothing. >> harry reid plans to take on unemployment insurance next week. >> work should begin with something that republicans in congress should've done before leaving town. >> passing an unemployment extension should be an absolute no-brainer. >> well, if john boehner would actually call the bill, i think we might be able to extend those benefits. >> joining me now is congressman matt cartwright of pennsylvania. good to have you with us tonight. >> my pleasure. >> you bet. good to have you with us. the story here is harry reid says there's going to be a vote on unemployment insurance on monday. how is that going to affect the house? and i ask that with this toxic attitude that has been presented by the tea partiers and by

boehner in an element of obstruction, the era of obstruction. how is a vote in the senate going to change minds in the house that all of a sudden 1.3 million people are going to have a better fate when it comes to unemployment insurance? >> well, ed, first of all, let me say it's a pleasure to be here on the network that stands up for the vatican. but here in -- here in northeastern pennsylvania, a lot of us are notre dame fans. watching notre dame is all about seeing what team shows up that day. it's the same thing with speaker boehner. sometimes it's the john boehner that is to the hardest right wing tea partiers. and sometimes it's the john boehner listening to the more moderate voices among their conference. so, for example, we actually passed something that looked like a budget before we left for the holiday break. many of us on the democratic side were happy to vote for it,

sort of as a show of confidence in boehner because he had found his spine and stood up to the tea partiers and did something. is that the boehner that's going to show up next week? and pass a reasonable short-term extension of unemployment benefits? i hope so because we have over 6,000 families in northeastern pennsylvania who got cut off on december 28th. >> well, that's the key of it all there, congressman, the democrats, they're counting on john boehner to show up. they're banking on john boehner showing up who has a record of not showing up. and the democrats could be very well in the position at the end of the day saying, well, you know, we took a vote in the senate, not a whole lot of republicans voted for it. and this is just the way it's coming down, this is our governmental system. reid is giving, as i see it, the gop a chance to show they are compassionate, that john boehner does have a pulse, that he's willing to be trusted.

and if it doesn't happen, how many more of these votes are going to be taken by the democrats down the road counting on john boehner. and i think this is a pivotal vote. i really do. your thoughts on all of that. >> pivotal is a great word. i like to think of it as a defining moment for the republicans. are they really the party that doesn't care at all about, you know, what romney called the 47%? the people they think are the takers in this country? i mean, you only think that way if you don't know anybody who lost his or her job. you only think that way if you never lost your job. and you only think about people that way if you don't really care about people. if they vote that way, if they refuse to bring up unemployment compensation extension for a vote, then that's a defining moment that really tells us who these people are. and that may be even more important, ed, than income inequality in this country for the upcoming 2014 elections. >> well, they're definitely connected. but i think you're on point.

this is a real pivotal moment, a defining moment, is this the way it's going to be in 2014? now, granted, there's going to be tea partiers out there that will never vote for an extension of unemployment insurance. but what we have is special circumstances in this country right now. we still have high unemployment even though we've had 47 months of private sector job growth and added 2.1 million jobs this year. but the fact is, in special circumstances, we need to do special things as a government. and to turn to americans and say, well, it's over with. and the tea partiers are saying they're nothing but a couch potatoes and not bettering themselves. we know that the argument is coming from the republicans. so what is the best way, if this does not come down the way we want it to come down, where does the political capital end for the democrats on this? >> well, i think the very bottom line of the whole picture, ed,

is elections have consequences. i mean, we as democrats have to remember that the republicans won the house because they won the elections. if we want to fix this problem, have a house where they bring reasonable things up for a vote. if we want to have a speaker who is not afraid to do things for the regular working people of this country, we have to roll up our sleeves and get to work as democrats and elect the right people to congress. otherwise we're going to have this over and over and over again. we have a republican speaker who is afraid of the right wing and who is afraid to do the right thing for regular working americans in this country. >> congressman matt cartwright, great to have you with us tonight. appreciate your time. and we will do it again. thank you, sir. up next, obamacare ushers in a new age of equality. for women. that's a big point that needs to be talked about. plus, the new year's resolution to stop a bad trade

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owned green packers will beat the privately owned san francisco 49ers in their playoff game? first of all, the high on sunday in green bay is going to be zero. wear your long underwear, 49ers, you're going to need it. look, i am for the packers, sorry the vikes and bears are out of it, but i like the pack, i like the way they play the game. and ownership has its privileges. i don't know how that fits in the competition, but i hope the pack goes past this round and gets to the super bowl. although, i do believe that seattle seems to be the team to beat. stick around, rapid response panel coming up next here on the "ed show." i'm seema mody. stocks down across the board on the first trading day of 2014. the dow plunging 135 points. the s&p 500 losing 16 and the nasdaq down 33. a sign the labor market is

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welcome back to "the ed show." well, folks, it's showtime. i mean, isn't this the day yesterday and today, aren't these the days we've been waiting for? after years of legislative road blocks, a rocky rollout with website issues? here we are, it's obamacare, it's finally here, full speed ahead. this is great news for the estimated 6 million people who have signed up for obamacare's

coverage expansion so far. according to the department of health and human services, here's the number, 2.1 million people have enrolled in a private health insurance plan through the federal and state based marketplaces. 3.9 million people in this country were eligible for coverage between medicaid and the children's health insurance program which is c.h.i.p.s. these americans are going to see the change they voted for and was upheld by the supreme court and the law of the land is etched in stone, right? january 1st was a day of liberation for a lot of americans in this country. they have been given a new level of security when it comes to their personal health. insurance companies can no longer turn someone away because of a pre-existing condition. they can't charge anyone more because they deal with chronic health issues. they can't put annual and

lifetime limits on essential coverage. and the discrimination practices that were out there when it comes to gender rating is a thing of the past. for the first time in this country, it's going to be illegal to charge women more money for insurance than men. there are countless benefits to obamacare for both men and women, which the mainstream media will not report. but it's important to remember this is also a major step forward in regards to gender equality in this country which a lot of folks aren't talking about. but here's the revolutionary change. and if the democrats have to go out on the campaign trail and reexplain obamacare, try this. we used to live in a country where when you got sick, you got left behind. that doesn't happen anymore. in fact, we used to be a country that when you got sick and needed insurance the most, this country wasn't there. we are now.

that's change and that's hope and change you can believe in. joining me now is our rapid response panel ruth connor for the progressive magazine and also zerlina maxwell. this is the day we've been waiting for. actually, i have to start with -- well, i'm waiting for the death panel stories, the right-wing media out there to put everything on the death watch. because we've heard so much garbage about the bad stuff, we are now functionally changing in this country. what does this mean to women? because when it comes to price -- when it comes to paying, when it comes to the cost, it's been a different world for women until today, hasn't it? >> absolutely. and i think this is the end of codified gender discrimination, which is what the old system was. it meant that a woman -- when we're really talking about women over the age of 26, under 26, you can stay on your parents' insurance. women at their prime reproductive age.

and now they're able to get affordable health care and everything they need covered. that is life changing. and i'm one of the 2.1 million americans who signed up for a private health insurance plan and my life is going to be completely changed because i have affordable health care. >> as far as women who are being affected by this, ruth, is it this is the aspect of the law that's been overlooked and hasn't been a whole lot of focus on this? >> it's true. one of the things that the affordable care act does is being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition for which your health insurance company can charge you a lot more. women on average were paying up to 150% of what men were paying because they were women. and the fact that's illegal now. you can't charge women more because they're women. and in addition to that, you have to cover newborn care, maternal health, you know, women are going to be able to get

birth control coverage now that they couldn't get before. all of that is incredibly significant. cancer screenings. and for those women who are under the age of 26, and i have three little girls and i think about this. the fact they can stay on their parents' health insurance, young women in their 20s who done want an unintended pregnancy are on health care, they are seeing a doctor regularly, they can get birth control and they're not in that gray zone that can really ruin women's lives. i think it's a huge step for women. >> lots of conversation about what michael moore has done when it comes to health care because he did a documentary on it. but now he's written, i think, an op-ed which has thrown a lot of people through a loop saying that obamacare was awful. saying there's a dirty little secret that liberals don't want to talk about. i have an issue with this. i think he's a great guy, done a lot of great things, we all want universal health care, but how can it be awful with the things we're talking about right now?

>> well, i think this is, you know, the number one thing that i would -- i thought when i read his op-ed was not helping. i think that, you know, the polling has really been misleading all along and michael moore is evidence of this. he's someone who wanted single payer. and so he would be among those that as polled and disapproves of the law. but you wouldn't think of michael moore and ted cruz both being aligned in disapproving of the law. but that's exactly what's happening here. and it really has hurt, i think, the pr push that the white house has been trying for many, many years up against millions and millions and millions of dollars and misinformation. and i think it damages the long-term outlook to attack the law. >> i do, too. >> and i felt the same way when everybody was attacking the website as if the sky was falling and it was the be all, end all of the policy. and i think what we need to be focusing on now in 2014

particularly going into the midterms, this is going to change millions and millions of lives, right? so the number we're talking about here is 9 million people whose lives have changed and democrats need to go on offense and really focus on the difference in the life, the quality of life for those folks. because it will be very significant. >> well, let's talk about the land where there's radical governors. one of them is in wisconsin. is it safe territory to go on the offensive for obamacare in the middle of the country, ruth? what about it? >> oh, absolutely. you know, our -- if you want to talk about a health care mess, look at wisconsin. because wisconsin not only refused to take the medicaid expansion but curtailed its own program called badger care so that now a lot of working poor people who used to have health care in this state are getting kicked off. and what the governor has said to them, as well, you can get health care because of the affordable care act. well, if they have the medicaid expansion, it would be free. the legislature have argued,

it's wonderful, you have an opportunity to buy for thousands of dollars of health care policy when you're only making $12,000 a year. so it's really obnoxious, costing us more money to insure fewer people. and we could be insuring more people and spending less tax money. >> ruth, what you just described, that is awful. and that's what michael moore ought to be writing about. it's awful that universal health care was not at the table. universal health care was never given a seat by senator max baucus of the senate finance committee. that's the awful part. but the things we're talking about right now and the things that are actually happening yesterday and today as we move into the full implementation of obamacare, no, it's not a dirty little secret and not awful and i take issue with what mr. moore was writing about in the "new york times." what's awful is the right-wing republican governors denying their own citizens a chance to get health care. that's the awful part of it all.

zerlina maxwell and ruth connor, thank you for being with us. up next, the new progressive mayor of new york city takes a beating for his message on income and equality. and this time, the attack is not from the usual suspects. before you settle for another ordinary mattress, isn't it time you discovered the sleep number bed? because only the sleep number bed offers dual air technology that lets two people find the perfect balance of comfort and support for their bodies. their sleep number setting. ok, right there.

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and in "pretenders" tonight, bury the lead. new year, new mayor. bill de blasio was sworn in on wednesday as new york's 119th mayor. and from day one, de blasio ran his campaign on tackling income inequality. at his inaugural address, he took the issue head on. >> it was new yorkers who challenged the status quo. who blazed a trail of progressive reform and political action. who took on the elite, who stood up to say that social and economic justice will start here and will start now.

>> well, de blasio's commitment to economic justice didn't resinate with everyone. >> and this is somebody who was elected with more than 70% of the vote to his base, to the voters, the progressives in new york city. he gave a very muscular argument in favor of what he wanted to do. but i have to say, there's another reaction, a lot of times inaugurals are times when people, when presidents or mayors or governors can reach out to critics, reach out to those who maybe didn't vote for him. this was not that. >> mayor de blasio's message wasn't just for the people who voted for him. his message was for the nation. starting with its largest city, income inequality will not be tolerated. if jake tapper thinks a man who was elected with 70% of the vote for making income inequality the center piece of his campaign was wrong for talking about it, he can keep on pretending. angie's list saves me a lot of time.

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can. welcome back to "the ed show." this is the story for the folks who take a shower after work. and you know what? every american should be focused on this story in 2014. now, the united states economy you could make the case is in really good shape to start off this new year considering where we were. you roll it back to 2009 and see where we are right now at the end of 2013, the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in five years. good. housing starts reached their

highest level since february of 2008. good. the stock market posted its best finish since 1996. the dow finished 2013 with its 52nd record close of the year. good. in 2014 all of this momentum, and i'm telling you all of it could be in jeopardy not just because of other market forces but because where this country could dangerously go. the country needs to keep jobs and the economy as its top priority. would you agree? i think most people are thinking that. it is the wrong time for the united states to be entering into a new international trade agreement which could really ditch a lot of the things i just mentioned. new year's day was the 20th anniversary of the north american free trade agreement. you know, they told us that nafta was going to be great. nafta brought two decades of years of relentless outsourcing of american jobs and technology.

now here's the bad part. as i talked about numbers on this before and like a pit bull, i'm not going to let this one go. the obama administration is now pushing for the united states involvement in another trade agreement, the transpacific partnership or tpp. it's a bad deal. the tpp is a trade deal which will govern 40% of u.s. imports and exports as well as effect copyrights and pharmaceuticals. all of the details of these talks have been kept in secret. only a few portions of the agreement and the memos about all of it have been linked out. in other words, your representatives, your senators, they don't have all the answers on this. they don't know. if you see them at a town hall, you might want to ask them what about this tpp thing? not to embarrass them, just to see if they have details. what we do know is the tpp is an attack on american workers as it stands. and the punch in the gut to the middle class of this country. all the people on wall street

cheering a record setting year are looking for the cheapest ways to get goods and services and don't care if the american worker suffers. that's how i read it. there's no better way to do than than to go along with the tpp, put it on a fast track with no debate, get it voted on and kick butt on the american workers of the middle class. it is a story that isn't going to go away. and what bothers me about all of this is that no one in the administration including the president has stepped out and explained to the american people what's the upside here. what they're going to say is that the exports are going to increase. yeah? well, what about the goods that are coming into this country that are going to be terror free in many respects. mr. cohen, good to have you with us tonight. nearly every other trade agreement negotiated by the united states in the past 20 years has been bad for working families. it's a fact. you can't deny it. why is the obama administration pushing the tpp and why is there silence?

>> it's the same mold as you just said. so who actually works on this? it's worked on by the u.s. trade representative and by almost every multinational corporation. and none of us, no unions, no governmental groups, no student groups. none of the people that are focused on the future of our citizens and our nation work on this at all. so it's no different than if you were building a houls. whoever builds it is going to determine what it looks like. and it's the same thing. we're not building it. we're on the outside. and then as you said, they'll fast track it as they've done every trade deal for 20 years so that in the blink of an eye the corporate lobby which will be 100% behind this will work on both parties to get this through. that house democrats and republicans are stand up now. 200 of them have written to the

president. saying no on fast track. and no on the transpacific so-called partnership. that's where we can stop this. that's going to take a mass movement. we're building that movement with consumers and labor. and it will be millions of us ready to go next week. day after day after day saying particularly to house members you're all up for election. we are not going to tolerate you regardless of your party. if you screw our jobs and our kids. and that's what you'll be doing. worse than what you did. and it's not just our jobs. it's the effect it has on our pay. americans haven't had a raise in 40 years. >> mr. cohen, what about the argument the proponents are saying the exports are going to increase? what do you say to that? >> yeah. some exports will increase. that's why you have these segments of the multinationals who can find their the demand, their consumer market somewhere else all joining in to support this. but if you don't look at the

imports and how that effects jobs and also how imports effect our pay because what happens is we get compared to the pay in vietnam, the leading nation in this at 25 cents an hour as the minimum wage there. so to keep a manufacturing job here or other jobs that can go to vietnam, it'll be, well, that's the pay there. you can't get a raise. and we haven't had a raise in 40 years. job to job across this country. >> it's got to be pointed out that the 12 participating countries ultimately missed a 2013 year-end target to complete the trade agreement. is there hope that this agreement will not take place? i mean, this is a heavy lift. >> yes. there's big hope and thanks to you among leading others, we've got to get this out of the closet onto our screens, into our hearts and minds that this is about our kids and the future

of this nation. that it's ridiculous to think we have a future without manufacturing let alone the millions of service sector jobs that have now gone to southeast asia because they have no floor. workers have no rights. the environmental -- the gutting of our environmental standards. food safety, consumer protection. it's all on the line, ed. it's up to us to hold the lines in the weeks ahead. >> here's what i want to say. i think it's great you've got 200 members in the house and some of them are republicans who have signed on because there's some sovereignty issues with this tpp agreement that don't want it. okay? where's the press conference? that's -- somebody earlier in this broadcast asked me what are one of my wishes for 2014. one of my wishes is we see a press conference with 25 or 30 who are makes this the focal point for the middle class. that they are going to derail the tpp, that this is not going

to happen. i can get great union leaders such as yourself to talk about it, advocacy people to talk about it. i want elected officials to come out in 2014 and lay it on the line and don't go home and tell us how you're so supportive of the middle class unless you're willing to do it in front of the cameras in washington and collectively put it together. where is the progressive caucus on this? where's the congressional black caucus on this? they need to make this front and center. this is america's economy on the line. no doubt about it. mr. cohen, good to have you with us tonight. i appreciate your time. we will do this story again and again until we get those lawmakers off their duff to do something about this and say it. that's "the ed show." i'm ed shultz. "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. good evening, rev. >> good evening. happy new year, ed. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, happy new year to tall