less than barack obama, but any president in history. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. good evening, americans, and welcome to "the ed show." tonight from new york, democrats are ready to go to war politically with paul ryan in wisconsin after his reckless comments about the president. and president obama says if you elect republicans you're on your own. and this just in. a tea party group is calling for michele bachmann to drop out of the race. the bachmann team has a response. we'll bring it to you. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> sowing social unrest and class resentment, that just makes america weaker, not stronger. >> paul ryan just continues to spread his misinformation. i think democrats need to respond. tonight congressman jim moran and katrina van den heuvel of "the nation" magazine are here. the mayor of oakland is changing her tune on occupy oakland as solidarity protests continue.

we'll have the latest on injured marine scott olsen and talk to his friend who was there during the raid. republicans are bringing out the big dogs to bust unions in ohio. >> you're getting demonized. you're getting you beaten up. >> tonight, unions are warning the fight is closer than it seems. and herman cain won't let his staff talk to him? and rick perry would rather look like a coward than look incompetent. >> the second amendment was before he was before the social programs. >> steve kornak sxichlt crystal ball are here with the latest. good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. congressman paul ryan of wisconsin has started a firestorm, and some democrats are ready to politically go to war with him. congressman jim mcdermott made this explosive comment on my radio show today. >> the president has bent over backwards, and i mean bent over backwards in trying to work with these people. and they simply are not going to help him solve the problems of

this country. and i think the time has come to call them out and go to war with them. i mean, i don't like that. i don't want to do that. that's not my style politically. but there is just no question that they have taken advantage of the president's real attempt to be conciliatory and work together and all of that. all they've done is taken advantage of him. >> mcdermott told me hundreds of other members are more than frustrated about the way republicans are sabotaging this president. mcdermott thinks the president should just quit trying to work with these jokers, the republicans, and just go into full campaign mode. let's roll. >> and i just think he ought to stop it and say come on, it's over, game's over, we're going somewhere else. and really start down the road for the next election. >> i really like that. mcdermott is clearly sick of

republicans pushing garbage like this. >> instead of appealing to the hope and optimism that were the hallmarks to his first campaign, he has launched his second campaign by preying on the emotions of fear, envy, and resentment resentment. this has the potential to be just as damaging as his misguided policies. sowing social unrest and class resentment makes america weaker, not stronger. >> republicans, if i remember, and president obama have referred to congressman paul ryan as a serious economic policy thinker. the speech ryan gave at the far right-wing heritage foundation was anything but serious. ryan's speech was nothing more than a cheap political hit job on the president, who has extended olive branch after olive branch to the opposing party. president obama isn't playing patsy anymore. last night the president warned democrats what a republican future looks like. >> the one thing that we absolutely know for sure is that if we don't work even harder than we did in 2008 then we're

going to have a government that tells the american people you are on your own. if you get sick, you're on your own. if you can't afford college, you're on your own. if you don't like that some corporation is polluting your air, or the air that your child breathes, then you're on your own. >> the president is spot on. paul ryan wanted to turn medicare into a voucher system. republicans want to privatize social security, public schools, fire departments, and every other institution americans fought and died to preserve. president obama wants the top .02% to pay more to help create or save 400,000 jobs. ryan claims it won't work. >> this notion that we should tax and redistribute toward prosperity has been tried so many times in so many different countries, and it just doesn't work. we should be focused not on worrying about wealthy people. i'm not worried about them. i'm worried about people who are

not wealthy who want to get up, make something of themselves, rise, succeed, create businesses, go to work, and have a life that they want. >> did he say he's not worried about the wealthy? oh, yes, he is. that's all he does is protect the wealthy. ryan's theory isn't based in reality. it's a fact. president obama's economic policies have led this country to 19 straight months of private sector job growth. here's another fact. president obama's economic policies have led america to nine straight quarters of gdp growth. and it is a fact the stock market was under 8,000 points on president bush's last day in office. and it's a fact the stock market closed over 12,200 points today. if you're in the market, you've got to feel good about that. even you righties. the only reason these numbers are not higher is because paul ryan and the republicans have done everything to kill the economy and sink the president's re-election effort. it's not radical for democrats

to think president obama should quit trying to work with these folks and go into the campaign mode. republicans don't care about governing and are always in the campaign mode. paul ryan needs to take a look in the mirror. people are in the streets in this country because republicans have forced discontent. republicans' depraved indifference to the middle class in america is selfish, undoubtedly, and it is a national shame. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question, which party is dividing the country? text a for republicans. text b for democrats. 622639 is the number. and our blog is ed.msnbc.com. results coming up later on in the show. joining me now is virginia congressman jim moran. congressman, good to have you with us tonight. >> good to be with you. >> i was somewhat surprised when jim mcdermott, your colleague and friend, said that to me on the radio today, that there are

some in congress who want the president to say okay, i've done all i can do, time now to turn to the election. are you one of those democrats? >> no, i'm not. and president obama is not going to give up. he's going to continue to fight. but it's pretty clear that many in the republican leadership, i think most, would rather see president obama fail than this country succeed right now. they feel that the long-term objective is to gain control. when you're talking about paul ryan, you know, he will tell you, he's an acolyte at the altar of ayn rand. she was a cult figure in the 1960s who preached the virtue of selfishness, basically a winner take all economy. and of course that's what we have today. when the 400 richest families in america have as much wealth as the bottom -- the poorest 150 million americans. 400 versus 150 million. but they would tell you that's the way it ought to be. that's the natural course of things.

you know, in the first year of the recession those 400 wealthiest families made $300 billion more while the average american lost a quarter of their retirement savings. but that's okay with them because the wealthy -- the winners in our society are doing very well. and so they think that their philosophy is working. but that's not what america's all about. they're willing to cut the very programs that provide upward mobility for americans. you know, you start with child nutrition, headstart, public education, higher education. giving housing subsidies for low-income families to live and middle-income neighborhoods. those are all the ways of upward mobility. but -- >> congressman -- >> -- they're cutting all those programs. >> they certainly do want to cut them and they've proven that, and they don't want to work with this president at all. sought suggestion is the president should go into the campaign mode. now, the republicans have said no to 400,000 jobs.

now, we need a hell of a lot more than 400,000 jobs, but this would be a start. and the president wants .02% of americans would be affected by this. if they're not going to go along with that, what are they going to go along with? probably nothing. why not go into the campaign mode? >> because we care about this country. we're not in it to win campaigns. we're in it to make a positive difference in the lives of americans. that's why barack obama is president. i'm convinced of that. that's why the majority at least of my democratic colleagues continue to fight -- >> so can the president accomplish anything with john boehner when he has the gavel in his hands? >> you know, ed, this is still a democracy. if your viewers and other viewers will say, look, we're not going to vote for you if you don't do the right thing, we talk about 400,000 jobs, but 280,000 of those jobs are teachers. imagine what happens when you have to have 60 students per teacher in a classroom. nobody's going to get educated. and that's the next work. that's our future workforce.

we're killing off the seed that -- >> and you think -- >> -- that will strengthen the future -- >> and you think the american people will figure that out in the next year. i think they will, too. but i think they're awfully frustrated and beyond. congressman, great to have you with us, my friend. thank you. i appreciate your time. now let's turn to katrina van den heuvel, editor and publisher of "the nation" magazine. what do you think about this issue? jim moran -- or jim mcdermott telling me earlier today that there are members of the congress that think, you know, just turn to the campaign, let's just go, you're not going to get anything out of these republicans. >> well, i think the president needs to turn to the economy, to jobs, to standing with the majority of americans in this country, ed, who want investment in job creation, who want to see

higher taxes on the wealthy, who want to see an end to the acceleration of inequality and to the downward mobility. i mean, paul ryan has exposed himself as a first-rate demagogue and a class warrior for the wealthy. but he certainly has lousy timing. he comes out the day of the congressional budget office, a non-partisan office, which reveals the acceleration of inequality over the past quarter century. and what does he call for? a redistribution upwards to the wealthiest, a regressive twisted tax code that would help the very wealthiest. and talking about sowing envy and resentment? i mean, what's sowing envy and resentment in this country are the harsh economic realities. >> i want you to respond to what congressman ryan said on cnbc this morning. here it is. >> the year before the election is when you get all the legislating done. you get the policies passed. they started the election a long time ago. and so what i would say, sowing social unrest and class resentment, that just makes america weaker, not stronger. pitting people against each other, preying on emotions of fear and envy, that is not what we do in america. it's antithetical to the american idea of upward mobility. >> has the president said anything to feed social unrest in this country? >> he has not. what he has tried to do, and democrats have tried to do, have

taken modest steps in these last weeks and months to slow the troubling trends of inequality. paul ryan is a very insidious person. but one thing i think people need to know is he's the darling of the elite, the establishment, in washington, d.c. my colleague ari berman wrote a cover story for "the nation" last week called "how the austerity class rules washington." and we're seeing an austerity class of pundits and politicians and think tanks who have manufactured a crisis in this country of debt and deficits when the real crisis is the jobs crisis. and they treat this guy, congressman, as a serious man. they have defined courage downwards by saying this man is courageous. to what? to gut social security, medicare, and programs that have brought security and dignity to millions of americans? he's on the wrong side of history. >> december 23rd is a big date with this super committee. agreement's got to be made. >> absolutely. >> the democrats have put $1.3 trillion worth of cuts on the table in the next decade. they want a little bit more revenue from the wealthiest.

the republicans say no. where's this all going to end up? and how aggressive should the democrats push for cuts? >> you know, ed, i hope to say it but i hope this super committee ends in failure because i think the real failure is if it comes out with real cuts in programs that people need in this country. >> that will hurt people. >> that will hurt people. i think we lose sight of the fact that when someone like paul ryan talks about fiscal responsibility it means balancing the budgets on the backs of working people and the middle class. now, the democrats have to step up their game. the congressional progressive caucus with their people's budget is the only common sense budget in my view. and the president, you know, i think he should look at the wind behind his back. who's he going to stand with? he has so much support. the mood in this country. it's going to be tough but it's shifting. >> i want to ask you about that because this story right here with the way he's coming out, claiming the president is sowing the seeds of social unrest, all the obstruction that he's been through, and i know you follow this. what's this going to do to the vote in ohio? what's this going to do to the recall of walker in wisconsin? i think it's a domino effect. your thoughts. >> i mean, i hope it is.

i mean, one thing that is clear is the force of money unleashed by the citizens united decision, which allowed corporate money to flow, and we've seen it in ohio, but there is a sense in this country finally of fairness. of taking back a government that stands for people and isn't rigged against their interests. so i think there could be a domino effect, and it's not just occupy wall street. it's the supercharging of what is going on in this country. the sense finally of accountability. and holding wall street accountable. and holding financial institutions and multinational corporations accountable and letting people finally have a fair shake. >> we haven't heard a congressman talk about a president the way paul ryan has talked about president obama in such accusatory -- in such an accusatory manner about the way he is operating in the white house and trying to accomplish something. and then to accuse the president of sowing social unrest -- >> you know, but we've heard eric cantor, we've heard boehner, but i have to say i think we all need to toughen up. i mean, politics is a tough game.

let's do it for people, not just for money and power. but franklin roosevelt faced some pretty tough adversaries. let's fight for the people. that's my -- >> and you are a fighter for the people. >> well, i just think we need some fairness in this country at long last because we're seeing the statistics and we're seeing a new gilded age, and i think we don't want to revert in this country to the worst traits. and i see that in what paul ryan and some of his colleagues are saying. >> no question. katrina, great to have you with us tonight. remember to answer tonight's question there at the bottom of the screen and share your thoughts on twitter @edshow. we want to know what you think. coming up, iraq war veteran scott olsen is still in an oakland, california hospital tonight. his friend josh sheppard was with him at the occupy protest and will join me. he'll tell us what happened. and ohio voters want to put an end to governor kasich's union-busting law. but union leaders are warning their members about a real tough fight ahead. we'll tell you about it. stay with us. i was having so much trouble getting around, i

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when the republicans took over congress, this was their battle cry. >> the american people are continuing to ask the question, where are the jobs? >> the number one question in america continues to be where are the jobs? >> we have been focused on one thing, and that is job creation. >> where are the jobs? >> oh, yeah. republicans insisted that they would create jobs by cutting vital government programs. in fact, they threatened to shut the government down unless they got their way. the gop succeeded and slashed programs that helped women and children, law enforcement, and the environment. and now a new report from the center for american progress shows that those so-called job-creating cuts did just the opposite. they killed nearly 400,000 jobs in this country. proof once again, if you want to know the answer to where are the jobs, don't ask the gop. coming up, he survived two tours of duty in iraq, only to be critically injured in the streets of oakland.

occupy protester scott olsen is still in a california hospital tonight. i'll talk with his friend, josh sheppard, who was there, when olsen was hit by police. stay tuned. [ male announcer ] in 189, a small town pharmacist set out to create a different kind of cold remedy using powerful medicine and natural ingredients from around the world. he called it vicks vaporub. today, the vicks journey continues. introducing new vicks nature fusion cold & flu syrup.

powerful multi-symptom medicine flavored with natural honey instead of artificial flavors and dyes. so you can feel good about what you take to feel better. oakland is a city that wants peace and progress. most of the people, 99% of the people who were out there yesterday were peaceful. i'm really saddened by what happened. >> the fallout continues over tuesday's violent clash in oakland, california between

occupy protesters and law enforcement. and now oakland mayor jean quan is backing off her initial tough talk, commending police action. quan first praised police for shutting down a protest camp that led to chaos in the streets. now she says she is committed to minimizing police presence in the protest area in hopes of building a community effort to improve communications and dialogue with the demonstrators. oakland police used tear gas after officers were hit with bottles and other projectiles, rubber bullets and flash grenades were also reportedly used on protesters by other law enforcement agencies. and authorities say they are investigating an incident involving 24-year-old scott olsen. olsen survived two tours of duty in iraq. he's a veteran. he was critically injured with a fractured skull after getting hit with a projectile. >> [ bleep ].

>> help him! >> [ bleep ]. >> olsen remains in an oakland hospital, but his condition has been upgraded to fair. vigils across america are honoring olsen are planned for tonight. joining me now is joshua sheppard. josh is a friend of scott olsen and was at the occupy oakland protests with scott. he is also a veteran of the united states navy. great to have you with us tonight. i appreciate your time, josh. >> thank you. >> the "l.a. times" is reporting that scott will undergo surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. can you tell us anything? do you know anything about that? >> yeah. scott was removed from his breathing machine. he's listed in fair condition. but yeah, it is still a very significant injury. and we're maintaining optimism, but we are still very cautious. >> josh, what happened? explain to our audience tonight what you went through, what you saw.

>> i arrived in oakland after the protests had already began. you know, it seemed largely peaceful before the police initiated their barrage of action against the entire crowd. the first time i ever experienced anything like that. i served in the navy. i was a computer tech on board a ship. i'd never seen combat. and as much as i can tell, that was as close to a war zone as it could have gotten. i wasn't aware until after we'd regrouped a couple blocks away that it was in fact scott, my friend, who was hit and injured. >> did you think scott did anything violent to deserve this? >> oh, absolutely not. in videos prior to the initiation by the police he can be seen standing shoulder to shoulder with me at the police barricade.

very peacefully. i was waving my "veterans for peace" flag. and we were peacefully assembling and demonstrating our first amendment right. >> police say that they were getting hit. do you believe the police were using tear gas and projectiles? >> you know, they're -- i did see throughout the evening, there were instances where people threw things at the police. i also got the sense that the police were waiting for anything like that to unleash on the entire crowd. this is a situation where these guys are sworn to protect and serve the populace of the city of oakland. they have to practice immense restraint in protecting these people. they're supposed to protect us, number one. and they were not in imminent danger, but they certainly put everybody in the crowd in

imminent danger. >> are you saying that, josh, that you think the police overreacted? >> certainly. and their mere presence elevated the tension. and judging by the reports of what it may have cost the city of oakland to put on such a show of force, it's extremely just confusing to me. at such a time in our economy and our nation. >> joshua, give us a sense of the demeanor of the crowd. were they provoked in any way? because of the position of the police? or how did it explode into something like this? >> well, i had been down to occupy oakland prior to the raid early on tuesday morning. and i had seen a high level of organization. if you look at the before and after photos of their camp, it was a great site.

you know, it was an active demonstration of participatory democracy in redressing grievances against the government. followed up by the just devastating raid by the police early tuesday morning. >> it was a raid? >> absolutely. yes. it was a coordinated, tactical raid on the camp at frank ogawa plaza. and -- >> the mayor says that she stands with the movement and the police say that they are going to investigate what happened to scott. is that enough. >> what more should they do, if anything? >> excuse me. it sounds like evasive posturing to me. i -- you know, she's in hot water. and she obviously wants to avoid accountability. i think that this is big, you know. it's not just oakland. it's across the country, where

people are facing increasing police crackdowns for demonstrating their first amendment rights. >> but -- >> this isn't what i served for. >> it isn't what you served for. so based on what you saw in oakland, there was really no reason for this to spiral out of control. and do you think the crowd provoked this? >> tensions were high on, you know, both sides, as they will be at any point when police, you know, are telling protesters if and when they can protest against the very system they're protesting against. it's just absurd. >> joshua shepherd, i appreciate your time tonight. and certainly the best to your friend scott olsen. we will continue to follow this story. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> up next, we have a double dose of psycho talk. pat robertson doesn't think christians should join the 99% movement. and donald trump is back on the board with the birther crazy

train. and the ultimate dysfunction of congress. a memory toll a slain staffer of congresswoman gabrielle giffords has overwhelming bipartisan support. so why is it taking so long? that's coming up. stay with us.

and in "psycho talk" tonight, well, we've got a double dose. doubleheader. since it's almost the end of the baseball season. first up, pat robertson. here's his response to a viewer

question about whether christians should join the 99% movement. >> why are they there? well, they're just mad. well, is it right for a christian just to get involved in a protest of anger? if you're going to demonstrate, demonstrate for righteousness. demonstrate to lift the yoke of oppression. demonstrate to help those that are poverty-stricken. but don't just go out and mess up a park and just scream and tear up things. >> i think pat robertson has been watching too much fox news. the 99 percenters are not just screaming and tearing things up. in fact, they're doing exactly what robertson just advocated. they're demonstrating for riechtness. they're demonstrating to lift the yoke of oppression. and they're demonstrating to help those who are poverty stricken. saying christians shouldn't get involved in the 99% movement makes pat robertson our first "psycho talk" offender of the night. but we couldn't leave this guy out. i always said donald trump's

presidential candidacy was a joke, and his obsession with president obama's birth certificate was just a plea for attention. and he keeps proving me right. even though trump's not running for president, he's still begging for attention with the birther nonsense. >> do you believe he probably was born in america? now. >> i say he might have been. it took a long time to produce the certificate. and when it came out, as you know, you check out the internet. many people say it's not real. okay? that it's a forgery. >> check out the internet. the internet! is trump's proof? president obama's birth certificate isn't real? give me a break. you can find people on the internet who don't think the holocaust was real or who don't think the moon landing actually took place. there are even folks on the internet who don't think donald trump's hair is real. hard to believe, huh? meanwhile, the internet will tell you unicorns, ufos, and mitt romney's conservative credentials are real.

so for trump to say president obama's birth certificate is fake because you can't find it on the internet is ridiculous psycho talk. mitt romney. has brought national attention to ohio's fight for labor rights. thank you. sometimes a flip-flop can be a very good thing. rick perry wants to skip the debates. and a tea party group calls on michele bachmann to quit the presidential race. it's all coming up. stay with us.

welcome back to "the ed show." i think mitt romney just did a huge favor for the labor movement in this country. a renewed focus is on ohio's labor fight ever since romney flip-flopped on his support of the buckeye state's union-busting law. the democratic national committee is highlighting the gaffe in a new web ad. it says, "romney can't clarify his position on issue two

because he's running for office for pete's sake." so last night governor kasich, well, he called in the heavy artillery and the cavalry and everybody else. he rolled out the red carpet for sean hannity, who did a special pro issue 2 broadcast from the ohio state house. >> you're getting demonized. you're getting beaten up. you have literally millions of dollars of ads now, what, $60 million i think -- >> i would think it would be close to that. >> they're busing in union people from around the country. i know because i met one of the bus drivers. and unions are given free weekends in ohio for people that will come and protest you. >> sean hannity never met a number he couldn't fudge. campaign finance reports released today show the anti-issue 2 group, we are ohio, raised about $30 million, not 60. and the group fully discloses its union donations. unlike the pro-issue 2 group, which will not reveal donor amounts.

but it looks like kasich's supporters need to spend more money on advertising. the pro-issue 2 message just doesn't seem to be sinking in with some people. >> how are you going to vote on issue 2 in ohio? >> issue 2? >> yes. >> personally. you know, i haven't made a decision on that, to be honest with you. >> let's bring in larry cohen, president of the communication workers of america, a new quinnipiac poll shows ohio voters, larry, are overwhelmingly opposed to issue 2. 57% say the law should be repealed. only 32% say leave it alone. but an internal progress ohio memo just picked up by the "ed show" producers issued a warning to labor. "make no mistake. this race will tighten between now and election day." so how tough a fight is this going to be, mr. cohen? what do you think? what's your call on this? >> had i call is that ohioans will stand up for workers' rights. i was out in columbus knocking on doors. and by the way, i was out with

150 people who lived in columbus that night. i was the only one who didn't live there who went out. and what was amazing, ed, was you knock on these doors in cauo my workplace. it was amazing. the energy of the canvassers and the energy of the people in clintonville, in that neighborhood. >> kasich was fear mongering about firefighters on the program last night. here it is. >> in one community here south of columbus they just laid off 14 firefighters today because they don't have enough money to meet the budget. >> why won't the governor address the safety issues caused by senate bill 5? >> well, i mean, as you said earlier, when you cut these jobs, number one, in that case

you have safety issues. number two, this is what's destroying the economy. if people don't have decent-paying jobs and they have no rights, they can't buy anything. and the economy continues to unwind and unwind as long as these cuts continue. and whether it's public or private sector, americans are standing up. and that's what the occupy movement is about. we are the 99%. we're standing up for our rights. we're standing up for the american dream. and we're fighting back. issue 2, the people are going to win. working people will maintain their rights in ohio, ed. i'm confident of it. >> you know, last night it was interesting. our producers are telling me that of the 35 minutes in that program where the governor was with the host, firefighters, police, and public safety was only mentioned one time. i mean, it's obvious they're taking cues from karl rove. but they did attack union bosses and union members. and anytime they do that they get the negative reaction that they want. and they're going to use that kind of verbiage to turn public opinion. will it work?

>> it won't work. i think ohioans understand what's going on in their own state. every city in that state is devastated by cuts in manufacturing. the kind of trade policy we've had for years. and they will stand up for each other. and again, it's not just public sector. it's public sector workers understanding that when private sector workers lose benefits we all lose. public sector workers lose benefits or pay. we all lose. we can't go to the store. we can't stimulate the economy. and you know, tax cut gimmicks are not going to do it. we need rights so that we can bargain, not put employers out of business, whether public or private sector, but bargain, get our share of the productivity increases of the last 30 years, and bring this economy back and restore the american dream. >> and mr. cohen, if you could put it in perspective for us tonight, what if workers in this country, in ohio, don't get a successful conclusion on this? how big of a hit would this be to union workers in this country and to the standard of living and also the message that it would send out of ohio? how important is this vote in your opinion?

>> this vote is critical to send a meng a ssage across the country that in a key state like ohio that's key in every way, it's key in our economy, it's key in our political life, that people in ohio will stand up for each other. instead of a race to the bottom that we start racing to the top. that's what made this country great. and i'm convinced that on november 8th ohioans are going to say you know what, it's time we start racing for the top. we want the best rights for workers in the world, the best political democracy. we're tired of the race to the bottom, and we're going to show it with our voting that day. >> larry cohen, the communication workers of america. great to have you with us. thank you so much. >> thanks. my pleasure. a resolution to honor the slain staff member of congresswoman gabrielle giffords has overwhelming support, but it stalled in the dysfunctional house of representatives.

house speaker john boehner tries to explain why.

here's the network's latest attempt involving president obama's memoirs. >> government records show that the state department purchased more than $70,000 worth of his three books for use in embassies around the world. >> oh. sounds really sinister, doesn't it? but white house press secretary jay carney shot down any conspiracies. he said individual embassies around the world buy these books and use them as diplomacy tools. they do the same thing with president clinton's book and with george w. bush's book. but fox keeps trying. >> well, there's no evidence the white house knew about these book buys. the president does still collect royalties on some of these titles. so he likely made a few thousand dollars here, megan. >> don't you think they deserve to have w's picture up there

with the president? because he sold books, too. yes, president obama gets royalties from his books. and he gives more to charity every year than he would ever get from royalties on these books sold to embassies. sorry, fox, this scandal just isn't ready for prime time. still to come, rick perry identifies his greatest weakness. speaking in public. stay with us. important phone call i made. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, helps cover some of the medical expenses... not paid by medicare part b. that can save you up to thousands of dollars. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans...

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in my "playbook" tonight, if you want to know just how dysfunctional congress is, maybe this story will give you a really good idea. a resolution to honor the slain staffer of congresswoman gaby giffords is stalled. even though it has overwhelming bipartisan support. the community outreach director for giffords was the first congressional staffer ever killed in the line of duty. gabe zimmerman. would be honored by having a room in the capitol visitors center named after him. the resolution has 385 co-sponsors.

but when asked why the resolution is going nowhere, a spokesman for house majority leader eric cantor directed questions to the house speaker, john boehner, according to the huffington post. and initially, boehner's office had no comment, but after this story brewed for a while today, boehner's office said it was committed to constructing a more permanent memorial in another location. in fact, speaker boehner met this morning with giffords' hus, captain mark kelly. "while we're finalizing the last few details and we're not ready to announce plans publicly at this point, any member of congress interested in this issue has had ample opportunity to discuss it with the speaker." the shooting in arizona in january was one of the worst moments for this country in recent memory. six people died, including gabe zimmerman. congresswoman giffords was severely wounded and is still recovering. the bipartisan support for her and the victims was overwhelming.

so there shouldn't be any need to put pressure on the speaker's office. the memorial for the staffer gabe zimmerman should have already happened by now. rick perry is going to skip some of those pesky debates because you know, debates are just full of words and sentences and all kinds of stuff like that. and a tea party group says it's time for michele bachmann to go. that's next.

and tonight in our survey i asked which party is dividing the country? 89% said republicans. 11% say democrats. coming up, rick perry says he'll create 2.5 million jobs as president. that means he'd accomplish in four years what our current president has done in 18 months. that's next. you go next if you had a

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it goes wherever you go. get it free while supplies last. call the number on your screen to get your free video, brochure and your free hoveround collapsible grabber. call the number on your screen. the second amendment, was it -- was before he was before the social programs from the standpoint of he was for standing up for roe versus wade before he was against verse -- roe versus wade. >> all right. welcome back to "the ed show." after presidential debates like that rick perry has a new strategy. just skip them.

and in his first national tv ad campaign perry put a hard number on his jobs plan for america. >> as president i'll create at least 2.5 million new jobs. >> what was that number? hold it right here a second. 2.5 million new jobs? don't you think that's kind of an interesting number? because the guy, the current president, did it in a year and a half. the economy created 2.56 million private sector jobs from march 2010 through september 2011. it's not enough. and president obama has said it repeatedly. but it's still 2.5 million jobs in a year and a half. perry promises to do it in four years. or is it eight? great to have both of you with us tonight.

>> thank you. >> perry can choose to look incompetent in debates, or he can be like a coward and skip it. what do you think? >> it's kind of a darned if you do, darned if you don't moment, isn't it? here's the thing. if you're an incumbent, it can make sense to skip debates because you can only go down. right? if you're the front-runner, if you're the incumbent, you can make mistakes and go down in the debate. when you are at 6% nationwide, you need every chance you can get to make the case to the american people that you're worthy of being commander in chief. so to me just politically it's a huge mistake for him. >> what do you think? does he have the money to recover for it? >> yeah, i don't think it's a question of money. he had a question the other night i think it was on the o'reilly show where he said his problem with these debates is they only give him 60 seconds and he can't squeeze all he wants to say into 60 seconds. and you play that clip before, the guy can't get six seconds out of coherent talk.

>> it's too substantive for 60 seconds. that's the problem. >> newt gingrich is going up in the polls. he's up to 10% in the "new york times" poll. so he's on a roll for newt. newt did fire back. he said, "i don't see how somebody can say that they can't debate rick santorum or newt gingrich or ron paul but they'll be ready to debate barack obama. i think governor perry would find it an enormous mistake to not go to the debates. and i think that frankly he'd look pretty silly." >> yeah. well, and here's the other thing. newt gingrich also said that it was kind of a seventh grade lunchroom dynamic. and in that dynamic mitt romney is the like sanctimonious teacher's pet. rick perry was supposed to be the school bully. but he's being intimidated by the teacher's pet right now. at least he could keep sort of a macho persona. instead it looks like he's running scared. >> you know, another thing i think, and this is one of the consequences i think, one of the reasons for perry that he's struggled so much in these debates, is the right is so obsessed with barack obama and his communication skills. he this make all the

teleprompter jokes jokes. a lot of people on the right i think have really convinced themselves that this guy only won because he gives a good speech and he comes across on television. so they are more mindful i think than they've ever been about having a good television candidate to run against him. think that's one of the reason why's these debates have been so devastating to perry because he's just been so terrible in them. >> what about the math here? if perry created 2.5 million new jobs, that would be just 10% of the 25 million jobs the country needs. sales pitch isn't going to work, is it? >> well, and not to mention the numbers are very, very optimistic and sort of sprinkled with the magical republican fairy dust to start with. it's basically -- it's really not an economic plan. it's a political plan filled with conservative goodies. >> and a tea party group is calling on michele bachmann to quit the presidential race. the president of the american majority says it's time for michele bachmann to go. "every day the campaign flounders it risks hurting credibility of the movement." what do you think? >> that's the best press she's gotten in a week, i think. somebody's finally talking about her again.

i mean, the problem for the tea party movement is fine, you get bachmann out of the way. they want to unite around someone to go after romney. they still don't have anybody. and we're two months away from iowa. >> herman cain. e-mail from his staff saying traveling in a car you can't speak to him unless he speaks to you. is that the way the white house is going to be? >> he's a man of the people, right? >> is that the way the white house is going to be if he wins? >> wouldn't even let his own staff speak to him. >> don't talk unless you're spoken to. >> mr. cain. >> he wouldn't work in tv, would he? we need people that talk. chryst'll ball, steve kornacki, great to have you with us again tonight. thanks so much. and we want to update you quickly on the story of scott olsen, who was hospitalized after being hit in the head today -- at tuesday's occupy oakland protest in oakland california. our best josh shepherd just called us to let us know that scott won't need to have surgery to release the pressure on his brain. at a hospital news conference moments ago they announced surgery wouldn't be needed and the prognosis is overall favorable.