Skip to main content

tv   The Ed Show  MSNBC  January 21, 2014 2:00pm-3:01pm PST

2:00 pm
tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. eastern. "the ed show" is up next. good evening, americans. welcome to "the ed show" live from new york. get your shovels out. let's get to work. >> i thank all those who have once again placed their faith and trust in me. >> two week scandal over bridge traffic, sandy relief has taken a toll. >> we have a major question out there. >> getting to the bottom of the very thorny question about the abuse of power. >> who ordered richabridget kel issue her e-mail and why? >> each vote cast is an act of
2:01 pm
faith and trust. >> a government is not the solution to our problems. government is the problem. >> god bless you. god bless america. good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. today marks chris christie's second inauguration as the governor of the great state of new jersey. normally it would be a day of celebration, but there is this thing called a dark cloud hanging over christie's head right now. he came out today. and he just keeps coming at us
2:02 pm
with some tough talk and underhanded shots at democrats. >> today i think all those who have once again placed their faith and trust in me and i make this promise. i will not let up. i will insist we work together. and i will make this government truly work for those who pay for it. >> for those who pay for it. now am i looking for a fly in the ointment? i'm not. i don't like kicki ining peoplen they're down, but christie is not down. let's say we believe him. okay. he's crystal clean, note a problem whatsoever. but he says he's going to do the work on behalf of the people who pay for the government. what about all the people, governor? i'm not looking to pick a fight. what about the 90,000 people in the state of new jersey who just had their unemployment benefits
2:03 pm
cut? gone. good-bye. do they deserve a mention in this speech at all? strong words from a man whose political career is in the balance right now. things are getting worse by the day for this guy. there's no question about that. first it's bridgegate, which no one in the media had anything to do with. then the mayor of hoboken, new jersey claims christie used hurricane sandy funds as leverage over a development. if the governor did abuse his power, that's going to be another story. the consequences are definitely going to catch up with him. and his slide from grace with the public with all of this has already started. let's look at the numbers. new polling shows christie's disapproval rating has doubled
2:04 pm
down over the past year. now in january of 2013, it was at 17%. now it's at 34%. it's going the wrong direction. these numbers are probably only going to get worse for him. but he's okay. all these things have happened around him. not anybody else. it is not just the public who was upset with governor christie. new jersey democrats have mounted an all-out offensive against the governor. they have formed what is known as a bipartisan, there's some republicans on there, super committee tasked with investigating bridgegate and the hoboken issues. the committee will get to the bottom of all of these christie alleged abuse of power issues. >> i'm glad we were able to come
2:05 pm
to this agreement where we can bring the state assembly to work on this. we have somebody in the governor's office abusing power and we see an attempt to cover up that abuse of power. we'll follow that trail whether every -- wherever it leads. >> they're working with the democrats on a super committee. the governor also has to worry about this guy. the u.s. attorney. they're investigating bridgegate and now they're including the mayor's allegations of the city hoboken. we got a new twist in it. a nine-time olympic gold medallist is excusing the governor of new jersey of intimidating him.
2:06 pm
carl lewis was disqualified from running from office because he had some residency issues. lewis said he received a phone call from mr. christie desueding him from running for office. i thought it was going to be just fine and when i started to run, when he talked to me on the phone that night, he said if you run, we're going to have to cancel the program. i felt like he was trying to intimidate me. absolutely. lewis went on to say he doesn't consider christie a bully. he just thinks he's insecure. unfortunately this coming now is sour grapes, rehash of a clear cut legal issue which did not fall his way. the legal issue he's talking about the residency.
2:07 pm
back in 2011 when the conversation took place, a christie spokesperson said he did not desway lewis from running from office. it's another day. it's another day. it's another accusation. unfortunately, we just can't ignore it. i don't like piling on. i don't agree with him on issues. i don't think he should have cut 6,000 people out of education. i think he should have supported minimum wage. i don't like the way he goes after unions and wage earners. he couldn't seem to dial it back a little bit. he's going to run the government
2:08 pm
of new jersey for the people who pay for it. get your cell phones out. tonight's question -- has the media been too hard on christie? text a for yes. b for no. we'll bring you the results later on in the show. let me bring in connie shultz and eugene robinson. great to have both of you with us tonight. it continues to be the story that everyone on the east coast is talking about. a lot of it has to do with the fact is he is the head of the republican governor's association. part of his job is to raise money and lead the governor's association in winning elections. so there's a dynamic here that is not normal for any other
2:09 pm
governor. y how big a deal is this super committee that the republicans are signing on board to make sure they get it right too? >> i think it's a big deal. look, there are advantages for both sides here. for the republicans, they want this to look clean in the end. let's assume that christie did not do anything wrong, that there are no fingerprints on any of this. i think the republicans want to have it seen that they went, they cooperated with the democrats investigating this. and we'll see what the result is in the end. i think they're going to look into a larger pattern of behavior of the governor's office. >> connie, do you believe the hoboken mayor's allegations? obviously, she legally is out
2:10 pm
there right now. she's made statements to investigators that have to be correct. if they're not, she's in legal jeopardy. something very big is going to unfold here. everybody is going to make that you are own judgment as to whether they believe her or not. what if she's not telling the truth and governor christie is crystal clean on all this? >> they have to investigate her assertions. it's pretty clear she believes what she's saying at this point. she says she didn't come out sooner with this because she was afraid no one would believe her. when you look at the narrative of chris christie as a bully -- and i do think he was a bully -- this is the inevitable outcome of that kind of behavior.
2:11 pm
you have a staff that put out youtube videos that would take him on. the mother called in and asked why his children were not in the public schools and he laid into her and told her it was none of her business. that's not the way you answer when you're a leader. to now claim victimhood, where i see this is going in his camp, that the media is picking on him. i don't think victimhood is a good narrative for somebody claiming to be a leader. i think they need to rethink that. >> i think a lot of folks are wondering are the tactics that take place in new jersey, can that infiltrate this super committee? i mean, is chris christie or any
2:12 pm
governor allegedly strong enough to put himself in a position where, we got this committee thing worked out pretty good. eugene, you thoughts on how independent this committee has to be and how thorough. >> i think the governor's office would be pretty foolish at this point to make any move -- >> what have they done smart so far? >> exactly. they haven't been. they must have attorneys advising them at this point to make any sort of move that in any way seems to be intimidation or threats or warnings would just be disasterous for them. at what point does christie deal with these episodes we've seen of him bullying people? it's a textbook definition of the word. at what point does he take a
2:13 pm
step back and said, mistakes were made, even by me. when he does that, what does he have left in terms of national appeal for the republican party? what the party likes about him is this pugnaciousness, the fact he'll get in everybody's face. if he takes a step back from that, one wonders what's really left. >> right. >> connie, has he lost a step with the governor's national association position? does he still have the gravitas and respect that's needed to run that? >> i can't imagine he does. how could he? it'll be interesting to see who will be willing to be seen in
2:14 pm
public with him. he has to address this bullying issue. he has got to really embrace the humility that's required. i read his whole speech. he talked about having the faith of the voters, the trust of the voters. how they entrusted in him four more years. and it really sounded tone deaf to me and not address what is on everyone's mind right now. >> i want to get your comment, both of you, on this breaking news this afternoon. former virginia governor bob mcdonnell and his wife have been indicted on federal corruption charges just a short time ago. a federal grand jury returned a 14 count indictment against the couple, including conspiracy, wire fraud, and other charges. the two are accused of repeatedly shaking down a state businessman to help them with their personal debts. they accepted luxury gifts and
2:15 pm
loans from mr. williams. if convicted, they could face a statutory sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. mcdonnell's wife did nothing illegally and they will fight the charges. this is pretty serious stuff. how do you unpack this? >> this is a big story. nothing like this has ever happened in virginia. number two, he's in a heap of trouble. we're talking about $140,000-plus of gifts that they took or extorted from this businessman johnny williams, including a $15,000 shopping spree for mrs. mcdonnell in new
2:16 pm
york. a silver rolex from the governor. golf clubs, vacations. this was all allegedly to help this businessman johnny williams promote this sort of food supplement that the fda says is snake oil and has warned him about how he's selling the stuff. so this story has legs. this is a guy who was mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2016. that's over. that's way over. >> he was also when president obama was first elected and gave his first speech, i believe his state of the union, it was this gentleman from virginia, the newly elected governor, that was the first one to step up and counter president obama when he was first elected. they had really high hopes for this guy to do something in the republican party and now this unfolds. the attorney has spoken for his
2:17 pm
wife and says she did nothing illegal. there's been no word on her husband's involvement in this. how big of a problem would this be for the state republicans and their image? >> well, i don't even know where to begin here. it is not just an abuse of office. it is an abuse of public service. we're talking about the former governor and the former first lady of the state. i wasn't surprised when the news came out. there's been a lot of news leading up to this, but it is just astonishing to me that if indeed these gifts were coming through, there's no way anybody in that marriage does not know that something's up when you're getting this kind of stuff that that marriage. >> great to have you with us tonight. appreciate your time. remember to answer tonight's question there at the bottom of the screen. want to know what you think. coming up, polar vortex
2:18 pm
round two. this winter storm is packing a punch on the east coast. plus, getting a grip on income inequality. stay with us. it's all coming up. $45 a month. wow...no annual contract. no annual contract. no long-term agreement. no long-term agreement. really? really. ok, so what's the catch? there is no catch. ok, i'm obviously getting nowhere with you. i'm gonna need to speak with the supervisor. i am the supervisor. oh, finally someone i can talk to. [ male announcer ] it's not complicated. new smartphone plans starting at $45 a month, with no annual contract. only from at&t. over the pizza place on chestnut street the modest first floor bedroom in tallinn, estonia and the southbound bus barreling down i-95. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored
2:19 pm
to be part of some of the world's great stories. that began much the same way ours did. in a little dorm room -- 2713. ♪ this magic moment ♪
2:20 pm
lovely read susan. may i read something? yes, please. of course. a rich, never bitter taste cup after cup. 340 grams. [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] always rich, never bitter. gevalia. ♪ stacy's mom has got it goin' on ♪ ♪ stacy's mom has got it goin' on ♪ ♪ stacy's mom has got it goin' on ♪ [ male announcer ] the beautifully practical and practically beautiful cadillac srx. lease this 2014 cadillac srx for around $319 a month
2:21 pm
with premium care maintenance included. ♪ [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.® time for the friend etrende. social media in action. we're on the radio noon to 3:00 monday through friday. the ed show social media nation has decided. here are today's top trenders. >> all right. everyone, chill. >> the number three trender,
2:22 pm
polar plunge. >> more cold, more snow, more wind. >> near blizzard like conditions and brutally cold air. polar vortex part two. >> the polar vortex revs up for round two. >> 84 million people effected over the next 24 hours. >> wednesday morning, fresh snow on the ground. in d.c. and new york, it'll be down in the lower teens. the number two trender, butt bowl. >> red team go. >> colorado and washington state just voted to legalize pot. >> pot and football do not mix. they're like oil and water. >> that's some heavy stuff man. >> all the super bowl
2:23 pm
commercials will be for munchies. >> get some sour cream and onion chips with some dip, man, and some beef jerky. and today's top trender, fall into the gap. >> we got $1,000. >> a study commissioned says the world's richest 85 individuals have the same wealth has 3.5 billion people around the world. >> that's a lot of money. >> the richest 1% own nearly half the world's wealth. >> have you ever seen vultures eat? they are the meanest son of a guns in the wild. >> americans have not seen their wages increase. the upper 1% has. >> and they feed on these folks down here on the blue line.
2:24 pm
>> gaping inequality, who is suffering? not the people at the talk. >> congressman, good to have you with us tonight. 85 versus $3.5 billion people. how does congress or how do we as a country go about addressing income inequality? i know there's talk about the minimum wage being raised. but what kind of a plan is being put together to make a difference in people's lives? >> we need a comprehensive plan, but let's start with increasing the right to collective bargaining. we have to get workers to demand that the wealth that they create be shared by the company. if you look at how wages have stagnated in the united states and you look at how union density has gone down, the lines
2:25 pm
track right together. you have to get power in the hands of the workers. that's key. then we have to invest in america. look, america's infrastructure is crumbling. we had a bridge fall into the mississippi river. we had a water main bust. the fact is that we can't get the public policy investment to correct these problems. at the end of the day, we have to attack an philosophy. my republican colleagues will tell you we can't possibly ask the corporate rich community to abide by regulations, health and safety regulations, or pay their fair share in taxes because it will hurt jobs. the opposite is true. if we increase wages, we will see everyone, even rich people, make more money. >> it doesn't sound like the
2:26 pm
republicans have any inclination whatsoever to work with the democrats on anything. on minimum wage, you don't hear any of them wanting to raise that. the president has given some consideration to the executive order. would it be your counsel through the caucus to go down that road and do something about that minimum wage? >> yes. we have 15 u.s. senators who have written a letter to the president and said, mr. president, let's let the federal government lead by example. the federal government hires federal contractors who have more low wage workers than walmart or mcdonald's combined. the federal government should lead the way. it should set the labor conditions of a fair-wage
2:27 pm
economy. we know the president is thinking about this. we hope that he pursues it. it would be a great start. we need a program. we also, ed, need to think about the rest of the world too. as we pursue the transpacific partnership, all we're doing is taking advantage of those bottom billion who are getting by on nothing. they have low money and living on less than a dollar a day. when we do trade with a country like vietnam, we're just exacerbating that issue of world inequality. >> the tpp really crumbles the foundation that anything you build on at home to bring wages up. i don't know where the president is on this. i think he is ill-advised across the board. we'll talk more about fast track
2:28 pm
later on in the program. i think the democrats need to talk about income inequality. how president obama is handling the issue of race and the right wing noise machine around it. the white house is heading down the wrong track pushing for fast track and the tpp. taking your questions on ask ed live. stay with us. we're right back. hey, the new guy is loaded with protein!
2:29 pm
really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat too, and has five grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i -- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? oops. [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong. ensure high protein... 50% of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] ensure high protein. ensure. nutrition in charge!
2:30 pm
when i'm training, i always listen to music. for the gym, it's hip-hop. for cross-country, classical. and for jumps, i need something...special. so i use my citi thankyou visa card for music downloads and earn two times the points... plus a little extra inspiration. [ ♪ music plays ] the citi thankyou preferred visa card. earn two times the points on entertainment and dining out with no annual fee. citi, with you every step of the way. is your tv powered by coal? natural gas? nuclear? or renewables like solar... and wind? let's find out. this is where america's electricity comes from. a diversity of energy sources helps ensure the electricity we need is reliable. take the energy quiz. energy lives here.
2:31 pm
in fact, they depend on a unique set of nutrients. [ male announcer ] that's why there's ocuvite to help protect your eye health. as you age, your eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite is a vitamin made just for your eyes from the eye care experts as bausch + lomb. ocuvite has a unique formula that's just not found in any leading multivitamin. your eyes are unique, so help protect your eye health with ocuvite. welcome back to "the ed show." our first question comes from joan. do you think the republicans are going to be anti-pope after the president goes to europe to meet with him? i don't know how to answer that. republicans are against anything
2:32 pm
president obama does. i think the pope is going to be proobama after that meeting. our next question comes from steven. what is your favorite flavor of ice cream? must be the storm bringing out funny questions tonight. there's two flavors i like. i like coffee ice cream and cookies and cream. i've cut down on eating both of them. stick around, rapid response panel is next. stocks finishing mixed today. the dow falling 44 points. the s&p up five and the nasdaq finishing 20 points higher. ibm is moving lower on a mixed earnings report delivering after the closing bell. the natural gas prices are surging. that's it from cnbc.
2:33 pm
first in business world wide. 
2:34 pm
2:35 pm
2:36 pm
welcome back to "the ed show." president obama apparently isn't able to talk about race. the right wing throws a fit. he said, there's no doubt that there is some folks who just really dislike me because they don't like the idea of a black president. now on the flip side of it is, there are some black folks and maybe some white folks who really like me and give me the benefit of the doubt precisely because i'm a black president. the right wing noise machine is all worked up about it. >> so what?
2:37 pm
white americans have just figured out obama is black in the last two years. >> the fact that he always goes there makes me think that's what he thinks it always is. >> it really is delusional. if he's sitting there lost in his own fantasy of what a great job he's been doing, if his approval numbers are falling, it has to be americans just don't like a black president. >> this president offers his race as an excuse for not doing better in the same position. martin luther king himself said, i have a dream. not once do i recall the reverend saying, i have an out. >> does this belief translate into action or some kind of punishment targeting specifically a group of people?
2:38 pm
i don't think it does. the great unifying force of president obama is he has screwed all of us equally. >> let's bring back connie shultz and eugene robinson. all conservatives have a negative view of what the president of the united states has to say. do you believe the president was using race as an excuse for job performance? >> well, of course not. you heard what he said. he said, well, some people don't like me because i'm black and some people probably like me too much because i'm black. i think he's being too even-handed at that. i get frankly and horribly racist e-mails about this
2:39 pm
president from critics for whom clearly race is the overriding issue. so what he said is just fact. but he's never of course been able to talk about race as far as fox news and the right wing echo chamber is concerned. >> i have to say i don't believe this country has made any great strides when it comes to race relations in this country while president obama has been president and i don't think he's had anything to do with it. i think he's done the best he can. he's kept race out of the conversation. connie, your response to the president. it's almost as if he's not allowed to talk about race and how are we going to make it better if we don't talk about it? >> i strongly recommend all these critics and viewing audience to read the 17,000 word
2:40 pm
piece by david. i think what the president went on to say in the next paragraph in his piece, he cautioned progressives from making gene l generalizations that anybody on the right that would oppose him would be because of race. he didn't say that. he made it clear we should not assume that everyone opposes his policies because he's black. i find it so interesting they couldn't be bothered to read one section of that story, let alone the full story. >> you can easily make the case that the conservative policies that have presented on a state level from state to state where the conservatives hold the houses and the senate in their local governments, the attack on women. the depression of wages, going
2:41 pm
after workers, not going with minimum wage, voting rights. i mean, all of these things, do they not attack minorities than the majority in this country? >> generally speaking, they do, ed. but again, this sort of plays into this right wing narrative of white victimhood and the idea that it is black folks and poor folks and the 47% who are the racists out there. accusing white america unjustly of harboring racial thoughts. this is an narrative they keep trying to sell and sell successfully among themselves. >> everybody is an expert on race. i mean, anybody who is in front of a camera on the conservative
2:42 pm
side, they always seem to have the perfect wash on all of this. i do struggle with that. there's no deprecation whatsoever by conservatives when it comes to race. that does irritate me. that has a lot to do with the fact that we haven't advanced as a country in race relations. sarah palin took to her facebook page to write, mr. president, in honor of martin luther king jr. and all that commit to ending any racial divide, no more placing the race card. your response to that. >> i know why she does this. so we talk about her. her greatest fear is she's irrelevant, which she is. as a columnist in the midwest who is white who writes about
2:43 pm
race, the hate mail is still steady. i know what's out there. i live in the heartland. i love my state. ignore sarah palin because she's contributing nothing to this national conversation. >> she's not throwing fuel on the fire in a debate. she obviously has following. she obviously gets exposure. aren't tweets like this inflammatory, that add to the racism? i'm asking the question. connie, your thoughts. >> i would say she's trying to, but i don't think she cares about is this issue. i think she cares about getting this attention. it's not a criticism of you, ed. i would love to hear what eugene
2:44 pm
thi thinks. >> connie, it is this automatic reaction. if president obama says anything about race, it is like almost hitting a program key. we have to accuse him of playing the race card because he mentioned race and that's what happens. in the long view, this is how we have our national conversation about race. >> exactly. >> it's scratchy and it's uncomfortable and we argue. it's not pleasant at times, but it is how we ratchet forward and you have to be -- you have to be more optimistic when you think about young people on racism as a whole. totally different thing than it was for my generation and is not in the way that it was for a lot of people in my generation. it's a lot better. >> if leaders don't talk about it, when do we talk about it? >> we have to. >> i think the president was
2:45 pm
very profound in observation. thank you so much. stay out of the snow, by the way. coming up, sean hannity threatens to skip town. of making an unbeatable truck, good things happen. this is the ram 1500. the 2014 motor trend truck of the year. ♪ and first ever back-to-back champion. guts. glory. ram. [ male announcer ] your eyes. even at a distance of 10 miles... the length of 146 football fields... they can see the light of a single candle. your eyes are amazing.
2:46 pm
look after them with centrum silver. multivitamins with lutein and vitamins a, c, and e to support healthy eyes and packed with key nutrients to support your heart and brain, too. centrum silver. for the most amazing parts of you.
2:47 pm
this is the first power plant in the country to combine solar and natural gas at the same location. during the day, we generate as much electricity as we can using solar. at night and when it's cloudy, we use more natural gas. this ensures we can produce clean electricity whenever our customers need it. ♪ afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection.
2:48 pm
and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. life could be hectic. as a working mom of two young boys angie's list saves me a lot of time. after reading all the reviews i know i'm making the right choice. online or on the phone, we help you hire right the first time. with honest reviews on over 720 local services. keeping up with these two is more than a full time job, and i don't have time for unreliable companies. angie's list definitely saves me time and money. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today. ♪ no need to chuck, donate or burn them ♪ ♪ just pack them in our flat rate box ♪ ♪ we'll come to your door and return them ♪ ♪ gifts you bought but never gave away ♪ ♪ or said you liked but thought were cheesy ♪
2:49 pm
♪ you don't even need to leave your house ♪ ♪ we'll come and take them, easy-peasy ♪ [ female announcer ] no one returns the holidays like the u.s. postal service. with improved priority mail flat rate, just print a label, schedule a pickup, and return those gifts at a same low flat rate. and in pretenders tonight, sean hannity. governor cuomo laid out a progressive vision. he says conservatives that are anti-gay have no place in new york. now he's ready to pack his bag. >> i want to tell you something. now, i was born and raised in new york. want you to know that. i can't wait to get out of here. i really can't. i can't wait to pay no state income tax down in florida or
2:50 pm
texas. i'm not welcome in my own home state. that's fine. governor cuomo, i'm going to leave and i'm talking all of my money with me. every penny. >> well, i hope hannity is making a promise. i've heard a lot of empty threats in the past coming from conservatives, you know? >> if you tax achievement, some of the achievers are going to pack it in. >> if barack obama begins taxing me more than 50%, which is very possible, i don't know how much longer i'm going to do this. i like my job, but there comes a point when taxation becomes oppressive. >> if barack obama becomes the president in november again, i will either be dead or in jail by this time next year. >> well, o'reilly didn't quit, and nugent, well, he is still running wild. i believe hannity, i believe believe him when i see his back side out the door and i'll hold his door open if he really wants to leave new york. but if hannity thinks anyone is
2:51 pm
going to try to keep him here in new york, he can keep on pretending. hey guys! sorry we're late. did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪
2:52 pm
lovely read susan. may i read something? yes, please. of course. a rich, never bitter taste cup after cup. 340 grams. [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] always rich, never bitter. gevalia. never bitter. (voseeker of the sublime.ro. 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. and only national is ranked highest in car rental customer satisfaction by j.d. power. (natalie) ooooh, i like your style. (vo) so do we, business pro. so do we. go national. go like a pro. whoo! ♪ oh! nice! great! [ laughs ] a shot like that calls for a postgame celebration. [ male announcer ] share what you love with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. they're gr-r-eat!
2:53 pm
of the dusty basement at 1406 35th street the old dining table at 25th and hoffman. ...and the little room above the strip mall off roble avenue. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored to be part of some of the world's great stories. that began much the same way ours did. in a little dorm room -- 2713. ♪ this magic moment ♪
2:54 pm
welcome back to "the ed show." this is the story for the folks who take a shower after work. well, the white house is making a push. they're making a major push to convince congress to give president obama trade promotion authority which would move the transpacific partnership forward. the problem is congress doesn't have all the facts. they don't have all the charts. they don't have the numbers about the tpp.
2:55 pm
and they're only operating on a theory that this would be good for our economy and leaked information alone. all of the negotiations have been done in secret, signing off on trade promotion authority would put time limits on congressional consideration and prevent any amendments or even debate. not many people like that. it would give president obama the obama administration more leverage with trading partners in its negotiations, but less input from congress. it is blindly signing up to send jobs overseas without putting up any fight, as i see it. the trade promotion authority bill was presented by max baucus of montana who is about to leave the senate to become the ambassador to china. interesting, isn't it? democrats should not give into this no matter how badly president obama says he wants it. if any democrat is going to fall for this, this theory that it's going to be better for the economy, they're really not a true supporter of the middle class or manufacturing and labor in this country.
2:56 pm
we should hold them accountable. james hoffa, president of the international brotherhood of the teamsters joins us tonight. mr. hoffa, good to have you with us. the pressure is mounting. we're getting into the 11th hour. here the president has got his folks up on capitol hill, pushing lawmakers. how is this going to unfold? or is labor and wage earners and some congressional members going to be able to stop this? >> well, fast track is the wrong track for america. and right now we're organizing action days. we're getting very active with regard to how do we stop this. we're going to have demonstrations at congressional offices around the country. we're going to be sending e-mails. we're going to be calling people up. anybody who wants to participate go, to www.teamsters.org. get on the teamsters fastline heart line calling sheet, and make sure that we call our congressman and say no to fast track. you know, like you said, this is being done in secrecy. they've got the cart before the horse. why don't they tell the american
2:57 pm
people what this is all about? what are our proposals? where is the transparency that everybody talks about in washington? it's time we get this out. put it in "the new york times." let's debate it. and then can have a vote whether we want fast track or not. but then right now, there is a reluctance right now. i understand they couldn't get one democrat in the house to sign on to the fast track proposal. so that's a start. but we've got to build on that. and right now we've got to identify the congressmen that didn't learn from fast track, that think these are good deals, even though we have lost millions of jobs, to make sure we stop that. we don't need any more fast tracks. we have to make sure we stop this right now. >> it's pretty clear, they have failed to make the case with a ledger of success about what this trade agreement would do for american jobs. we're talking about long-term unemployment. we're talking about depressed wages. a lot of people in congress, the democrats who are not signing on to this are afraid. no one is making the sell on
2:58 pm
them other than the president wants this authority. how dangerous is that? >> well, i think it's dangerous right now. and hopefully i back the president with a lot of things, but not on this one because i think he is wrong on this one. and i think what we've got to do is to go out and talk to these congressmen and say hey, we've made mistakes with trade. let's not make another one. and let's make sure we keep jobs here. right now we have an economy that is coming back a little bit, and sending millions of jobs overseas is going to set us back again. we've got to learn from fast track, and that it's bad for us. oui got to learn what nafta did to america, what cafta did, what the china trade agreement did. millions of jobs leaving this country. enough of this. let's do something that puts americans back to work. >> why do you think all the president's men, for lack of a better term, have not been vocal with the american people, selling them on how good is? >> you notice how there is very little detail about what this is about. they say vote for fasttrack, but they don't say why. and they don't realize and don't
2:59 pm
explain that there is 600 corporations that are involved in these smoke-filled rooms in making this deal right now. they don't talk about that. nor do they tell the average congressman out there, i've talked to a number of congressmen, i say what do you know about fast track, and what do you know about the tpp. you know what they say? i don't know anything. well, how are you going to vote? you should have input. and they agree with me. they say i want to do my job. i'm a congressman. i represent my district. and i want to have a say of what this agreement says. >> i want to hear the president say this is not going to hurt the middle class. i want to hear the president say this is going to lift wages in america. none of that positive kind of statements are being made by anyone trying to get republican and democrat support on the hill. all it is the president wants to be able to move forward with fast track to give him the ability to do deals with other countries. that's a heck of a lot of authority. >> it's amazing how little
3:00 pm
detail there is. >> yeah. >> what is in this agreement? what is in there about clean water? what is in there about the environment? what is in there about democracy? vietnam is involved. they're a communist country. are we going to have union there's? they don't have unions now. >> got to run, mr. hoffa. appreciate your time tonight, sir. thank you so much. that's "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. good evening, rev. good evening, ed. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, storm in new jersey. a new investigation just as governor chris christie is sworn in for his second term. state lawmakers announced today there will be a single supercommittee to investigate the sprawling questions about governor christie and his administration. it will include members from the senate and assembly and have full subpoena power. the announcement