about civility, trying to keep the attention away from the hyperbole, as he said. that's what gets all the attention. he is trying to regain control of the overall message if he can increase support for health care he can, you know, drown all that out and try to get the votes he needs. >> a lot of this anti-obama stuff is good old western prairie rebellion. >> right. one of the big stories of the last two cycles is the democratic gains in places that traditionally lead to the right of center. piece in yt the national journal" today looking at the mountain west when democrats made enormous gains in the last three cyclpsyccycles. playing off a conservative republican president made it easy as democrats to portray themselves as moderates. the challenge now, to hold the centrist voters in the mountain west and the outer south, against a left of sensor president. pursuing an agenda on cap and trade. if you look at the mountain

west, virginia, some other states, north carolina, where they made grounds in 2004, holding it will be the challenge. >> we'll be watching your interview with the president this weekend on "meet the press" across the country. obviously he's got problems in the west as well as the south. join us again monday at 5:00 and 7:00 eastern for "hardball." it's time for "the ed show" with ed schultz. good evening, american, i'm ed schultz. this is "the ed show" from minneapolis tonight. hateful rhetoric is at a fever pitch in this country. first topic off the top tonight. i think republicans have sunk to a new low. this is where they're going. they're going to attack nancy pelosi, the house speaker. showed some emotion about the health care anti-s and related it to a terrible time in this country's history. here it is. >> i have concerns about some of the language that is being used because i saw -- i saw this and

i felt, in the late '70s in san francisco, this kind of rhetoric was very frightening and it gave -- it created a climate in which we -- silence took place. our country is great because people can say what they think and they believe, but i also think that they have to take responsibility for any incitement that they may cause. >> so let me tell you something. that was real emotion coming from a woman who's witnessed hatred firsthand in a city of change decades ago. republican congressman from texas, pete sessions, had the nerve to issue this paper statement response to speaker pelosi. here's the quote. "the speaker is now liking genuine opposition to assassination such insulting rhetoric not only undermines the credibility of her office but

underscores es desperate attempt of her party to dry away from an important agenda. the american people have been completed abandoned by those elected representatives under her control. voters justifiably are frustrated with washington and the speaker's verbal assault on voters accomplishes nothing other than furtheringer her reputation for being widely out of touch with the people. congressman, give me a break. mr. sessions, you sit there on your high source with insulting rhetoric while your party, your people, have done nothing positive throughout this entire debate about reform. it's your party, your people, who have been inciting dangerous behavior across this country. now, you have the nerve to question the intention of nancy pelosi? i thought she was the bleeding heart liberal from san francisco for you conservatives. now, political talk, political rhetoric, that's grandstanding

at an all-time high. makes you look like a texas. . americans, this is not media manufactured. these are actions out there on the trail. let me give you a little reminder of what's going on from the right. look at this disgusting image that t.e.a. partyers are pushing. the president depicted as a witch doctor. congressman sessions, you say nancy pelosi's verbally assaulting voters? this image, my friend, is assault. this image is insulting rhetoric. now, there are people out there with the obama as hitler signs. i suppose they're upstanding citizens. there are people carrying loaded guns to town hall meetings. there are people making threats like, i came unarmed this time. there are people probably holding signs that read, what is this all about? bury obamacare with kennedy? congressman sessions, you know, i haven't heard you or anyone from your party, for that

matter, denounce these de despicable acts. instead, you go after nancy pelosi and her truthful display of human emotion and concern for what's going on out there. this is really an exemplify case of how ruthless the republicans are in the debate. they have ice in their veins. they don't care. republicans, it's your responsibility to stand up to the hate merchants in your own party. it infuriates me. this is what really gets me. well, the people who love to broadbrush it. there's a few bad apples out there and these rallies going on, and, you know, they're over on the right but the lefties have them, too. that, my friends, is psycho talk. there is no liberal out there pedalling this hate. not one. give me a name. give me a statement. give me a statement like this. anybody on the left serving up this kind of talk? remember this? >> this president, i think, has exposed himself as a guy over

and over and over again who has a deep seated hatred for white people or the white culture. i don't know what it is. >> here's another name for you. how about the drugster, rush limbaugh? after a bunch of black kids beat up a white kid on a school bus, here's how the head of the republican party put it into perspective. >> obama's america is it not? obama's america, white kids getting beat up on school buses now. you put your kids on a school bus, you expect safety. in obama's america, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering, yay, right on, right on, right on. >> folks, there are zero liberals out there talking like that across this country. the truth is liberals are carrying the positive banner. we're trying to do something for people. we're trying to make things better for the middle class. is that sinful? nancy pelosi's genuine concerns about the direction the antis

are taking this entire debate in the country. the right wing can twist words any way they want. it's a disgusting exercise to attack her. well, i want to know what you think. get your cell phones out. how you feel about this. text survey tonight, is do you believe the rhetoric about health care will lead to violence? "a" for yes, "b" for no to 622639. joining me now, democratic congressman, elijah cummings. good to have you with us tonight. you have seen a lot of change in your lifetime. you've seen and been exposed. you have. you've been exposed to some rhetoric. tell our audience tonight, congressman, from your experience, when does the rhetoric become dangerous? >> i think that when you have situations where, for example, you are comparing a president to

hitler and when you've got frank crowderville, a moderate democrat from maryland, being hung in effigy because he supports certain legislation with regard to health care, public option, and you have people coming to rallies with guns and saying all these negative things. i think you can cross the line. now, but ed, i think we have to be very careful because this also can be distracting from what we are trying to do. let me be real clear. anybody who attacks nancy pelosi, particularly with the statement that she made trying to bring the country together, saying let's calm down, let's move forward, to have been treated the way she was treated by representative sessions i think it should upset all americans. >> no doubt. congressman, where do you draw the line, congressman? freedom of speech and then paying attention to it. i have wrestled with this about, you know, how much coverage we

should give this kind of rhetoric. personally, i think it's an instinctive feeling. i went to a black high school. i can tell you about raced busing. that's 30 some years ago. we're still having the same rhetoric. when is it the sponlts of the media to step up and address this kind of stuff? >> i think we are at that point right now for the media to do just that. i think, again, as i moved throughout my district, so many people are very concerned, particularly when they see people wearing guns and they see the various signs that they've seen and these negative signs at these rallies. the media, right now, i think has that responsibility. i think we're already there. the fact is we are going to pass health care no matter what. i think that a lot of this, it could be distracting. one thing i must say, ed, is that i'm glad the president is handling the way he's handling. for him to get out there and

talk about race right now and blame folks and say things that has anything to do with race i think would be a mistake, because he has to stay focused and i think that's basically what -- as a matter of fact, i know that's what nancy pelosi, our speaker, has consistently said. we have to be focused, we cannot be distracted because this health issue is a life and death situation. we've got people literally 18,000, ed, as you well know, who are dying because they have no health insurance. that's every year. every year, ed. >> that's what i -- that's what i don't get about it. i mean, how can any average-thinking american not have some kind of pulse and compassion for what this country's going through for those being left behind? that's why i just can't believe the rhetoric going on out there. congressman, great to have you with us tonight. i appreciate your time. congressman elijah comings with us on "the ed show." i want to turn to republican strategist and former assistant to president bush, ron christie. ron, what's the next move for

the democratic leadership and the republican leadership? is it too much to ask, seeing that we're divided on everything in this country, could they come together and make a collective same saying, can we knock off all of this hatred? can we knock off all of this rhetoric, can we come together as a country and have a real debate? i will challenge you, ron, it is coming from the republican party. it is the seeds of the republican party causing all of this stuff. i'll let you respond to that. >> i don't think the actions of a couple of fringe individuals speak for the republican party. i think the republicans elected across this country speak for the party. i do agree with you. i would love to see the elected leadership in the house and the senate to sit down and come out with a unified statement and say we as the leadership of the house and united states senate do not tolerate racism, do not tolerate insensitivity. we can agree to disagree. there's no place for violence in

this health care reform debate. it's despicable to me. >> would you call on dick army to say that? he's heading up this group that's perpetrating all of these signs out there. the thing that bothers me, ron, it's not a few signs. it's common accepted behavior at any rally by hundreds and thousands of people that are doing this stuff. >> ed, i turned it around the other way. obviously the media is trying to portray this as the republican party is out of control. i challenge you on one very specific case where violence took place over rhetoric. there was a town hall meeting last month and congressman russ carnahan's district outside of stimulus, missouri. a young, black conservative was beaten, knocked to the ground, called racial eppitef, this was recorded. you didn't hear one peep out after a young, black conservative peacefully handing out flags that said "don't tread

on me" and were sent to the hospital. >> ron, in fairness, you're certainly not suggesting maybe the media overplayed the black security guard that was shot in washington, d.c., just a few months ago. i mean, there are acts of violence taking place that are being incited by a lot of right wing commentators in this country that have gone out of bounds. >> we're talking about health reform, town hall meetings. >> this is what it's evolved to, ron. ron, this is what it's evolved to and you know it's evolved to this. it's the republican party feeding off of this. the republican party is feeding off of this. you know they are. >> i find it fascinating, ed, you will not repudiate a specific example caught on film at a health care town forum meeting where a young, black conservative was nashlly assaulted, beaten to the ground, put in the hospital. you're talking about republicans inciting violence. i can't think of one kpesk example. >> ron, i will admit to you that is a story i missed and i

guarantee you i will cover it on monday. i am looking for fairness. i tell you the liberals have not brought this fever pitch to where it is in this country. it's been the right-wing talkers, it's been these conservative organizations and now, look, we got it. i want to show you this, ron. you as a black man, can you support a cartoon or a characterture of the president of the united states, a witch doctor? my god, ron, how can you put up with this without denouncing this and calling on republican leadership to distance themselves with this kind of garbage? >> that is out of bounds. that visit reyol is disgusting. you have to respect president obama for the office in which he holds. the one thing i draw distinction with you, ed, these are not all republicans. you can't say there's a republican conspiracy. >> i don't hear any of them denouncing it. when they denounce it, i'll back off.

when i hear cantor and boehner and mcconnell come out formally and make a statement -- >> they did yesterday. >> no, they haven't. no, they haven't. >> i watched john boehner, a good friend of mine, he came out -- >> i want them to ask the right wing talkers of america to back off. that this isn't moving the debate forward at all. there's a difference between being against a policy and being a psycho talker like these guys are. you know that, ron. >> are you going to let me finish here? john boehner came out yesterday, a minority leader and said there's no place in this debate for racial insensitivity and bigotry. he said it on film yesterday. i don't know what more you want him to do. if you're going to look at this, the gentleman's name was kenneth gladny, beaten, look it up in "the st. louis post dispatch." if you're going to have an honest decision, look into this specific case where a black conservative was beaten due to

political thoughts at a town hall meeting. >> i will do that and it's unconditional. i'll do that. it's one i did not see. you've got my honor on that. i would like you to do me a favor. i would like you to get mr. boehner on this program, "the ed show," and let's have a civil discussion about the leadership of the republican party and how they have not distanced themselves from the rhetoric that's out there with what's going after the president of the united states. ron, good to have you with us tonight. appreciate the discussion. coming up, liberals do not link that you can't support the baucus plan. it is a nonstarter. it is a nonstarter. plus, this got so much response last night, folks. we got to do it again. senator chuck grassley is really offended that the president called him out for supporting death panels? >> i'll tell you, there's some things that the president has said since then that i took very personally. >> chuck, we think the

president's remembering something like this -- >> we should not have a government program that determines you're going to pull the plug on grandma. going to pull the plug on grandma. going to pull the plug on grandma. >> i tell you what, senator grassley you either need your medication or you're lying to the american people. you can't make this stuff up. the whole unbelievable story of that coming up in the bottom of the hour. first, the so-called value voters meet in the nation's capital with these values in mind. no to a public option and yes to heckling reporters just doing their job on the scene. one of the headliners and sponsors, the family research council's tony perkins is up next. so many arthritis pain relievers --

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welcome back to "the ed show." the right wing values voters summit is under way in washington, d.c. conservative stars like mike huckabee, michele bachmann, and jim demint of south carolina are coming out to play to the base. it you're in the d.c. area and decide to head on over, here are some of the sessions that you could check out at the seminar. there's the true tolerance countering the homosexual agenda in public schools. or the new masculinity, where you can learn about how feminism

has wrecked havoc on society. you can also have obamacare, rationing your life away, and, of course, let's not forget global warming hysteria, the new face of the pro-death agenda where you can find out how fighting global warming will lead to forced abortions. that's just a sample of the kind of talk going over there this weekend. let me bring in tony perkins, the president of family research council. the organization that's sponsoring the values voters summit. i have to hand it to you, tony, you've definitely got innovative titles for the seminar. >> and you have got some good graphics. they come together well. >> what's the mission? a lot of people say the conservative movement is in disarray. the republican party is not organized. is that wrong? what is the mission of this conference? >> i have to tell you, it was to bring together value voters, social conservatives from across the country. i've been surprised. we were expecting a much smaller crowd. this is an off-year election.

we have a crowd that rivals last year's in terms of size. intensity and enthusiasm is three or four times greater than last year. >> i think we saw that. our nbc reporter today was doing a standup report on this network and this is what happened. >> i look like that -- >> your invited guest. we're doing live television. please don't touch the microphone. tell us what your thought is. >> my thought is that you are rude to do this in front of public. >> even though we're a credentialed press brought here to tell your story and bring it out to the world? >> all right. >> tony, i know you're a stand up guy and know you apologize for that. did you invite the media in? was this just a mixup? you say the intensity of the people is pretty high there. this is not good. what do you think? >> no. look, i used to be a reporter.

it makes for great tv. you're right. what happened here is we were expecting about 1,200 and had it close to 2,000. very tight quarters. after that happened we made an announcement to the entire audience and said, look, the press, they're our guests. we invited them here. we want them to be here so let's treat them appropriately. we moved chairs over and kind of scrunched people together to give the media more room. >> all right. what is the true tolerance countering the homosexual agenda in public schools? that's a new one to me. what's going on in public schools? what do you have a hard time with? >> actually, ed, what's happening, those are breakout sessions. we have numerous organizations, probably 25 different organizations that are either co-sponsors or have breakout sessions. to be quite honest i don't know the exact content of that. i think part of it is tracking the curriculum that is going into the public schools.

stuff like heather has two mommies. actually the promotion of the homosexual lifestyle to young kids in schools. we think parents need to know about that. >> okay. and the straw poll that's coming up, how important do you think this is? gingrich, huckabee, ron paul, pawlenty, and santorum expected to be in this mix. how's this going to turn out? >> i don't know. that's kind of why we're doing it. we don't know who is the favorite at this point. social conservatives. as you pointed out earlier, the republicans really have not had a visible leader. what we've seen in the last four months is that people across the country are certainly engaging, like they haven't in a long time. even when the president bush was in office. >> tony, wouldn't this conference maybe be the place for the conservatives to denounce some of the rhetoric that is out there at some of

these town hall meetings and t.e.a. parties and what not? the skerl louse signs out there, the hateful conversation? does correcting that have a place at your conference? >> if you were to come over, ed, and listen, you would probably hear that. we certainly believe every american has a right to speak in this process and encourage our folks to be respectful, even with those we disagree with. even the president of the united states. i vehemently disagree with many of his proposals and policies but i don't want to tear down the president. we refer to him as president obama. we encourage our folks to make this dialogue -- i mean, it's going to be tense. i mean, i watch -- i was a little concerned about you in that previous segment. you were getting a little too excited. we want to keep it down. >> no, i'm not -- i'm excited and i'm disappointed that that's what the republican party is

promoting right now, tony. dick army is involved in this. dick army is involved in this. >> i'm not here to defend the republican party. we're nonpartisan. i will tell you we do more times than not line up with conservative republican candidates. i don't think a lot of this coming from the party. there are some out there in america who have twisted ideas. we disagree with those. >> tony, i got to run. look for you next time. i appreciate you coming on. tony perkins, president of the family research council. we'll visit again. up next, the insurance companies are going to value this. michele bachmann has the solution to health care reform? no regulations? "psycho talk" coming up next on "the ed show." looking for motorcycle insurance. you're good. thanks. so is our bike insurance. all the coverage you need at a great price. hold on, cowboy. cool.

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oh, in "psycho talk" tonight, you've got it. michele bachmann. today at the values voter summit in washington, you put her in a room with several thousand other right wingers and she's bound to say something cooky, right? she seems to think fewer regulations on insurance companies would mean more competition. >> if we would remove this federal law that creates these private monopolies then states would be competing with each other. some states may decide to have

zero mandates, so you can sell whatever insurance policy you want. >> really? zero regulations on the insurance industry? now, if that happened, companies would have free reign to deny coverage for any pre-existing condition. no matter how ridiculous. they could cancel policies at any time for any reason. bottom line, insurance executives would continue to take home obscene paychecks. michele bachmann's playing right into the hands of the insurance industry. we've had michele bachmann in "psycho talk" quite a bit lately. i'm not the only one who sees great entertainment potential from the minnesota congre congresswoman. here's a clip from "saturday night live" show. >> how about we yell you lie, you freedom hating secret half

muslim? >> i think just you lie. >> seems like everyone's realized that michele bachmann is a never-ending source of "psycho talk." coming up, don't get too comfortable with this baucus plan. this is not the path to health care reform. this is the path to losing the middle class. e.j. dionne joins me next. plus, this weekend, it's the president's chance to make news on health care. take a stand on the public option. we're behind you, president. mr. president. you've got to do it. make news. ♪ i got troubles, oh ♪ but not today ♪ 'cause they're gonna wash away ♪ ♪ this old heart ♪ gonna take them away [ quacks ]

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back to "the ed show." i have dubbed this the triangle of death. maybe not only death to you but to your wallet. it's the baucus bill. i'm not wrong, folks. this is not, this is not a reasonable starting point.

the bill lines the pockets of insurance companies and the pockets on capitol hill with your money. middle class voters will oppose it because of the mandate. liberals get this out of your head. push back against the baucus triangle of death. this is not reform. it's nothing more than a gift to the big insurance industry to senator max baucus, exactly what it is. we're supposed to be grateful for it because he was working so hard. >> we debated this thing. we met over 100 hours. 100 hours. 100 hours. >> 1s. can you believe that they worked 100 hours? 100 hours. senator, you need to go out in the real world and get a real job. now, look, he's got fans out there, but this is wrong. now, senator oilympia snowe, th

white house favorite republican joined with a weak-kneed team of joe lieberman, claire mccaskill, commending max baucus for his hard work to gain bipartisanship support even though he's got nothing? here's the quote. "we're encourage by his commitment to work with democrats and republicans in the finance committee and believe there is responsibility for both sides of the aisle to work together to develop a bill that will earn strong support from the full senate." according to joe lieberman. now, this is the same rhetoric, folks, we have heard for five months. the republicans have had five chances to vote and get on board for health care reform. they're holding us hostage. not one has taken the chance to move forward. if the baucus plan goes through, it will water down any chance for health care reform. it's only going to get worse from here. if it goes through, reform isn't going to be reform. it's going to be weak.

joining me now, e.j. dionne, columnist from "washington post." great to have you with us tonight. >> good to be with you. >> you know where i stand on this. yes. is the white house bound and determined to go get bipartisan support on this, or will they do it alone? what do you think? >> when you were playing that 100 hours clip, it felt like baucus has been negotiating for three years price process has gone on so long. i think that delay did not help health care refrm. i don't think the baucus bill can pass in its current form and don't think it should pass. before you get to the public option issue, if you look at the subsidies of this plan for middle income people, especially people who range around $60,000, $85,000 a year, there's a mandate on one side. they could end up spending up to a fifth of their income in health care costs. they're not going to like that. i don't think that can go through. senator snowe has said that this

is inadequate in terms of subsidies. there's another provision where employers would only have to pay back the government not a mandate that employers who don't insure people have to pay, but just those who hire people who need a subsidy. that's a recipe for not hiring poor people. i don't think this bill will go through the way it is. i don't think it should go through the way it is. this raises enormous problems if it passed in the form it's in now. >> sometimes i think these senators that are on this gang of six, they don't get the intensity of the american people and the demeanor just has not been there the way it should be. this is an interesting sound bite from senator baucus on exactly how these meetings have gone. here it is. >> the tone is also very modest and moderate. no fireworks, no anger, no bitterness, acrimony from any direction. i don't see major changes. i do believe very much by the

time we vote this bill it's going to have some republican support. it just takes a little time to make some adjustments, modifications. >> i tell you, the thing that bothers me about this, e.j., it sounds like a card game over at the country club. there's no anger, no bitterness. acrimony in all directions. how are you going to get change if you don't have some passion that's in this debate by the people who are making the decisions? where's the ted kennedy? where's the paul wellstone? who's the lead dog on this? who's going to pick this up in your opinion? >> you saw is last week when senator rockefeller of west virginia spade he couldn't vote for the baucus bill in its form. senator widen, moderate on these issues, raised some of the same questions about the baucus bill. the real problem also is this notion that somehow or another if you wait long enough some republicans will come along.

i do think senator snowe could end up voting for this and i think she actually is probably more progressive than some of the conservative democrats. otherwise i think the hope for a lot of the republicans to vote for this is gone. they've made it clear. senators grassley and enzi may have ended up playing a smart republican game by dragging this thing out through the summer. the net effect of that has been to weaken the position of the reformers, not strengthen it. >> e.j., great to have you with us tonight. thanks so much. e.j. dionne of "washington post." the republican ma smeen is unbelievable. when i showed you this yesterday, your response to this via e-mail was overwhelming. i got so many e-mails about it, we have to show it to you again. watch this gang of deep six, or senator chuck grassley blaming the president. here it is. >> i'll tell you, there are some things the president has said since then that i took very personally. he gave some speeches during august in which he was

associating me with efforts to make this a political document and with efforts other people in the country will make to give extremes like on the end of life situation. >> the senator says the president's being dishonest? when he's calling chuck grassley out for death panel talk? >> we should not have a government program that determines you're going to pull the plug on grandma. we should not have a government plan that determines you're going to pull the plug on grandma. we should not have a government program that determines you're going to pull the plug on grandma. >> all right. for more i want to be joined by our panel tonight. laura flynn, author of "blue grit" and host of bluegrit tv.com. michael, also with us, talk show host. michael, how can mr. grassley say something like that in iowa and come inside the beltway and

say that to capitol hill reporters and put it on the president? i need definition. i need clarification here from a conservative here, michael. take me down this road tonight. >> please don't ask me to explain the mind of chuck grassley. i think he's a good guy. however, remember, this is the same guy who said about the wall street executives they should follow the example of the japanese and kill themselves when it was exposed that they were taking these undue bonuses. so chuck grassley sometimes has a tough time controlling his remarks. however, the basic point here, you were asking before, ed, by the way, i agree with you, i'm totally opposed to the baucus bill. the point here is we agree, you and me, conservatives and liberals agree on over half of what needs to be done. the time has really come for americans to get together and just do it. to stop the block on pre-existing conditions. to make it impossible for insurance companies to rescind coverage when people get sick.

to move forward with the incremental steps we need and to drop this idea of some kind of sweeping one-size-fits-all chain from the top down. that's a change from president obama and in good faith trying to put forward. >> i appreciate your comments. we have got to give the private sector some competition. that is a big part of this all or premiums are going to start to go up. laura flanders, about chuck grassley, are we supposed to feel confident this guy is the ranking republican on the senate finance committee and makes these kinds of comments? health care reform is in the hands of this guy. >> you know, the mind of grassley is michael's problem here. i'm more worried about the mind of baucus. he's going to sell the whole american people down the drain to try to get olympia snowe's vote. michael is making a misleading

argument in saying there's no much in this bill or proposal that we can agree on because there is no guarantee for everybody's health care under this bill. there is no guarantee that people will be able to afford the insurance that they're going to be forced to buy. this is a deep, deep problem people are facing. let's just talk about that no pre-existing conditions. great. you can't be denied coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition. you can go broke paying for it unless we have a public option. >> and, michael, i want to bring this up. a fair comparison here. if this were the bush administration or the republican sound machine with the 60 votes, 59 votes, the white house, the house and the senate, would they be playing this nice? >> i don't know. look, i think both sides have played pretty tough here. the problem right now, and this is why president obama is going on every tv show imaginable, i think, including the shopping

channel this weekend, is that the american people have become very concerned. they don't know the specifics and the details and the people are deeply unsure about the public option or no public option. >> that's because he hasn't placed any demands. the president needs to come out and place some demands is what he's got to do. he's got to get after it. we've got four out of five bills calling for a public option and the president won't place a demand. i hope he does that this weekend. panel, we'll come back with you. go ahead, michael, quick comment. >> i was going to say, the problem, the president in his speech, i was there in the gallery and applauded when the president said he doesn't want to add one dime to the national deficit. you can't do that and deliver a public plan. it's either one or the other. >> yes, you can. we've got to race your taxes. coming up, you can't miss the president this weekend. he's got a full media blitz. i think it's time for him to call for a public option, that line in the sand. make some news, mr. president. that's the "playbook." ( conversation )

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in my "playbook" tonight, the blitz. the president of the united states will hit five new shows this weekend plus david letterman over the next few days. mr. president, i think this is the play. get tough on the race talk, get it off the table, make news when it comes to health care. bring back our panel on that, laura flanders and michael medev on that. should the president, how many more voices of america do we have to have? we've got four out of five bills wanting a public option. we know we're going to have to raise taxes on this. isn't the time for the president to draw that line in the sand and make demands? should he keep playing footsie with the republicans trying to get people on board? >> i would like to see him make

demands just like you would. we need to step back and think about why it takes the president to go on this media blitz to refocus the conversation on where the american public are. >> is he overexposed? >> overexposed with the hate fests that have been passed off as protests by a media who has broiled the antis on this. the president is going to remind the public what they voted for a year ago, in the democratic party platform in '08, guaranteed health care for all. >> michael medev, here we've got michelle obama getting into the mix. is she going to have an effect? she's going to, i think, have been impact on a lot of moms across this country. i think it's a smart play for the white house. what do you think? >> of course, she's more popular than the president is. i can tell you what the president could do in his blitz that would unite americans. attack jimmy carter.

what jimmy carted contributed to this debate has undermined the president's position. created this entire distraction this week. ed, you know it. you talked to people. everybody's talking. was carter right? is it about race? is it not about race? it's a disaster for the democrats. >> luckily i don't think barack obama is taking michael medev's advice on media strategy. >> michael, i admit, the former president, jimmy carter, his timing is taeserrible. when is a good time to talk about the things going on right now? he these are things that are happening. a lot of people in this country are nervous something terrible could happen. who knows if a horrific fight breaks out at a t.e.a. party or somebody is carrying a gun. somebody has to reel this stuff in. the timing is not the best but it has to be addressed, michael. >> i don't think it has to be addressed to suggest people that are opposed to president obama's policies on health care are all

racist. are there some crazy racists out there? yes. jimmy carter -- jimmy carter said the overwhelming portion of animosity to the president of the united states is based upon overwhelming portion was his language. >> portion? >> yes. >> portion? >> the overwhelming portion. that means majority. patriotic and decent americans disagree with the president on health care. >> you're going to say -- >> laura, i want to know if michelle obama's going to have an effect in all of this. >> of course she is. michelle obama has 70% approval rating. she reflects what people's hopes and dreams were when they voted last year. the conversation needs to go back right there. >> it's certainly better for democrats to hear from michelle obama than jimmy carter. >> great to have you with us. thank you, panel. see the interview with the president of the united states on "meet the press" with david gregory this sunday on nbc.

coming up, value voters bring in a dandy. her answer to a pageant question made her a conservative hero. >> i am disgusted at the way some people can be so intolerant. it disgusts me. >> the only one who made me more disgusted is our own deposed beauty queen, liz winstead. she's in club ed. in a luscious soup? v8 garden broccoli. from campbell's. velvety, delicious. campbell's v8 soups. also, try new garden vegetable blend.

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welcome back to "the ed show." it's trid. time for "club ed" with liz winstead, co-creator of "the daily show" and brains behind "wake-up world." good to see you tonight. >> hi, ed. >> you've got to help me, liz. this baucus bill is killing me. what do you think of this thing? >> i think it is one of the most amazing pieces of legislation showing all of the heart and soul of progressive democracy that we can pick up. what great nation wouldn't want to say, here's what we're going to do to our citizens. we're going to have a tax-payer funded, for-profit health care plan for some. my heart is actually beating. i'm so excited. thank you, max baucus. thank you. >> what do you make of the values voters little cotillion the