would st about as long as my annual vow to lose weight. that's "hardball" for now. thank you for being with us. "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. good evening, americans. welcome to "the ed show" tonight from new york. john boehner is holding 160 million americans hostage and the speaker of the house is refusing to let the democrats do their jobs. i got commentary. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> mr. speaker, you're walking out. you're walking away. just as so many republicans have walked away from middle class taxpayers. >> today house republicans literally ran away from a vote to cut taxes. >> we were on the floor to do our work. and they walked out. >> tonight, democratic congressman chris van hollen will tell us what happens next. roosevelt believed that government should level the playing field to create equal opportunities. president obama believes that

government should create equal outcomes. >> mitt romney continues to attack the president with bold-faced lies. the grio's joy ann reed and john nichols of "the nation" magazine will sort fact from fiction. in "psycho talk" tonight, a fox news host is looking for handouts from yours truly. >> you think being the successful tv guy, you'd think he'd buy a drink back. greg never once offered to buy a drink. and in iowa, newt gingrich is telling gay americans to vote for the democrat. >> then you should be for obama. >> we'll talk to the iowan who confronted newt gingrich. good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. president obama and the democrats have john boehner boxed in and they can't let him out this time. boehner is taking heat from all sides because the speaker is being walked like a dog by the tea party. today's editorial in the "wall street journal" took republicans to task over all of this.

"mitch mcconnell famously said a year ago that his main task in the 112th congress was to make sure that the president of the united states, barack obama, would not be re-elected. given how he and the speaker john boehner have handled the payroll debate, we wonder if they might end up re-electing president obama." that is spot-on. the republican party is imploding before our very eyes. conservatives don't want to give the president of the united states a win, but some realize the damage boehner is doing to the party. 39 republican senators voted for a two-month extension and some of them are publicly calling boehner out on it. >> it is harming the republican party. it is harming the view, if it's possible anymore, of the american people about congress. and we've got to get this thing resolved and with the realization that the payroll tax

cut must remain in effect. >> are republicans getting killed right now in public opinion? there's no question. >> president obama called boehner today and told him there was still time to take the senate's package. boehner refused and asked the president to call on harry reid to get a conference committee together. the speaker has his head completely stuck in the sand on the golf course. today boehner and his buddies held a photo op to pressure democrats. >> we're here, we're ready to work. we're looking for our counterparts to sit down with us so we can do what the president, bipartisan leaders in the house and senate all want, and that's to extend the payroll tax cut. >> really? while boehner was doing his photo op, house minority whip steny hoyer was trying to do the people's business. hoyer went to the house floor to introduce the senate's two-month extension. the republicans walked out. >> mr. speaker, mr. speaker, mr. speaker -- would like to ask for unanimous consent that we bring up the bill to extend the tax

cut for 160 million americans. as you walk off the floor, mr. speaker. you're walking out. you're walking away. just as so many republicans have walked away from middle class taxpayers. >> this is why the tea party went to washington. they have been hellbent on destroying the middle class and president obama at all costs. hoyer put it like this on my radio show today. >> there are a lot of people in washington who are prepared to sink the ship in order to drown the captain. >> drown the captain. now, who would the captain be? well, that would be the president of the united states. sink the ship? that's the country. couple of numbers to remember. i will throw this at you a lot. 160 million americans are going to be affected by this decision. by those republicans walking out of the house today, failing to vote on the that senate package. this is how many americans are going to be affected. now, here's how it's playing out

politically as i see it. do you really think, in your heart, that the tea partyers care about the unemployed? do you think they care about the economy? and the answer to both of those questions is absolutely not. their mission is to defeat, is to defeat president obama. now, let's call time-out for a moment and praise the democrats for holding the line over the last 24 hours. they have not caved in and called for a conference committee. that's the good news. because a year ago, this time, they caved in on the bush tax cuts. so we're making progress. hold the line, democrats. you will win in the long haul on this. but this is how i think the tea partyers are handling this whole thing. they don't care about these people. these people don't donate to them. they're not in the top 1% or 2%. to hell with them. don't worry about that. don't worry about that. in fact, we have rules in place in a lot of states around america where a lot of the folks aren't going to be able to vote hell, they're unemployed, they're elderly, don't worry

about them. they don't care about the unemployed. what the tea partyers are doing right now, they're behind closed doors saying hold the line. this is why we came to washington. it's like the perfect storm for the republicans. it's the perfect storm for the tea partyers. this is what they won't to washington for. this is what they live for. they are there to disrupt. they are there to delay. they are there to take away. they are there not to worry about the unemployed. they're not there to worry about the economy. they're there to get power. and the only way they can get power is to defeat the president of the united states. now, you may be wondering, well, the american people, eddie, you know, they're really on to this one. really? for how long? this is the first of the year coming up. do you really think in november that the republicans are so inept with all of this money from citizens united, that they're not going to be able to create a narrative and blow it right back on the democrats somehow? they have right wing media. they have 450 right wing

talkers. they have citizens united. they have unlimited funds. they're going to be able to change this narrative around. it's going to be hard and they're going to take a short term political hit here. there's no question about that. in the long run, they'll be able to go home to their constituents and say, you know what, we didn't spend any money. and we are there to take down obama. and obama was not able to help the unemployed and obama was not able to keep the economy going. they know, they know that this tax holiday is working and they know that 1.5 million americans have been put on the rolls of private sector jobs since this tax holiday went into effect. if they give president obama that again, they're going to continue to add jobs, that's going to be against everything when it comes to doing what? as steny hoyer said, sinking the ship and taking the captain down with it. this is what the tea party is all about. they don't give a damn about the unemployed.

do you think they care about the 99ers? do you think they care about seeing president obama have a better economy and adding jobs? no. so they are in the huddle right now and they're saying, we're not coming out. we're not coming out. this is where the democrats cannot in any way, shape or form say, okay, we'll do the conference committee. no. you must hold the line. this cannot be the same movie we saw last december caving in on the bush tax cuts. no. the democrats must be strong and they must hold the line. it's going to be our job. that's right. it's going to be our job in the media over the next 11 months to make sure that the american people, they don't forget this number. that's right. if we keep telling the truth, we might be able to overcome this. it's going to take some guts. it's going to take some political guts. do not cave into the tea partyers. do not. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question. will republicans pay the political price for raising taxes on 160 million americans? text "a" for yes, text "b" for no to 622639.

our blog is there for you as well at ed.msnbc.com. we'll bring you the results later on in the show. i'm going to tweet a little bit during this show tonight. i can't wait. joining me now is congressman chris van hollen of maryland. good to have you with us. ranking member on the house budget committee. look, itotally wrong. i don't think i am. the tea partyers are in the middle of their perfect political storm. this is what they wanted all along. your take, congressman? >> my take is the same as yours. their ploy this time is so transparent. it's going to backfire on this. the american people see exactly what's going on. in fact, a lot of republicans, most republicans recognize that this time the republicans in the house, the tea party republicans, have really taken this way too far. that's why you have all the senators on the republican side saying to john boehner speaker of the house, come on, bring the

compromise bill to a vote. i was with steny hoyer today on the floor of the house where we tried to bring up that compromise bill. we simply asked them for a vote. a vote on a bill that had 80% of the republican senators supporting it. apparently speaker boehner did not want to come to the floor of the house. he was apparently hiding out in his office. but the answer to this riddle is very obvious. which is mr. speaker, come out of your office, come on to the floor of the house, let's take up the bipartisan compromise senate bill. we can get this to the president's desk within 24 hours. >> now, the democrats' position right now, calling out boehner, obviously. but is this the situation where we've done all we're going to do and give us a call when you change your mind, john? is that where we're at right now with the democrats? are the democrats going to hold the line and not make anymore changes, no more conference committees? this is it? >> well, yes, because it's not only what democrats have already done. it's what democrats and republicans have already done.

and that's the difference. you don't get 89 out of 100 vote in the senate very often. you don't get 80% of republican senators onboard very often. and so we've already seen what the bipartisan compromise here is, ed. and what the republicans in the house are doing is trying to block the payroll tax cut. listen, when this president came before the congress many months ago, last september, he asked for a one-year extension of the payroll tax cuts. the house republicans said, no. then finally when they realized that was a losing proposition, they put together a bill, loaded it up with all these poison pills and sent it over to the senate. even the senate republican realized that was a nonstarter. so they worked with the democrats. what you've got going now is not democrats versus republicans, but you've got is the republican right versus the republican far right. that's what's happening. >> well, you've also got 174 of them in the house there that are telling boehner, do not punt. okay?

and so the bottom line here is this. democrats are going to have to remain strong. not go to conference committee. and it's going to hurt some folks, and in the long run you're going to have to make the case to the american people that this is a republican problem. they are the ones that are holding up the bipartisan effort. now, is there any chance in your opinion that boehner will blink and will move on this? >> well, i hope that he will listen to the american people. i hope if he'll listen at least to his fellow republicans who are telling him and shaking him and saying, mr. speaker, wake up because you're doing tremendous damage to the republican party. and unfortunately, the real damage, of course, is being done to the american people. 160 million americans are going to see their taxes go up and the millions more out there looking for work but need the unemployment compensation because they can't find a job. so, look, ed, i think the american people are watching this. >> they are. >> and essentially, the whole country realizes that the

obvious thing to do is extend for two months the payroll tax cut while we try and work together to do the full year which is what democrats have wanted all along and what house republicans opposed until very recently. >> and do you think if boehner blinks that his speakership is in jeopardy with his party? >> well, i hope what he would say to his fellow republicans is, you know, just a few days ago i, the speaker, recognized that this was a good compromise. this was something that served the american -- >> he shifted. >> -- people well. and you, my caucus, told me to take a hike and therefore we've gotten ourselves driven into this corner. i don't know if he'll take that path forward. he's apparently going to make a statement at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. along with some of his members. but as of now, i don't expect any change. but the more he hears from folks that he listens to, unfortunately he doesn't listen to the great mass of the american people, but he does

read "the wall street journal" editorial. karl rove has now been, you know, come out very clearly saying the house republicans have created a credible mess for themselves. what the republican party is worried about now is not the american people but they are worried about their own survival. and this is causing great damage. unfortunately in causing themselves damage, they're doing it by hurting the american people. >> congressman chris van hollen, great to have you with us tonight. i appreciate your time. we'll see how it unfolds as the saga continues tomorrow. 10:00 boehner going to make a statement. thank you, congressman. appreciate your time. remember to answer the question there at the bottom of the screen. we want to know what you think. and share your thoughts on twitter @edshow. coming up, newt gingrich is whining about mitt romney's negative campaign commercials in iowa. that's right. gingrich is complaining about negativity in politics. governor howard dean weighs in on that. and later, mitt romney distorts the president's record on the economy in a campaign speech. i've got the facts.

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coming up on "the ed show," newt and mitt are fighting it out again and the winner seemses to be ron paul. former dnc chair howard dean gives us his take on the gop infighting. that's next. fox newsers complain about me having coffee with other journalists. and eric tells a story about buying me a drink? folks, he's all wet. i can't wait to get to "psycho talk" tonight. newt gingrich gets tough questions on gay marriage. i will speak with the man who spoke with newt gingrich later on in the show. tweet us your thoughts throughout the show using #edshow.

i'm sure i could go out and say, hey, please don't do anything negative, but, you know, this is politics, and if you can't stand the heat in this little kitchen, wait until the obama hell's kitchen turns up the heat. >> i'll be glad to debate him anywhere. we'll bring his ads and he can defend them. let's test this kitchen. i'm happy. i'll go in the kitchen. go back and ask governor romney, would he like to come in the kitchen? i don't think so. he doesn't want to do anything except hide over here and pretend it's not his false that he's flooding the people of iowa with falsehoods. >> sounds like a triple dog dare to me. newt gingrich is raising the 2012 stakes. challenging mitt romney to debate him one-on-one in iowa. i love it. there's a third candidate these guys should be concerned about. conventional wisdom in iowa says ron paul is going to be a force in the caucuses.

he's still on the rise. up at 28% in the latest poll. so newt gingrich and mitt romney are fighting it out for second place. romney has made it clear, he's going to bloody newt gingrich as much as he possibly can using the super pac dollars to cover iowa with ads like this one. >> newt has more baggage than the airlines. freddie mac helped cause the economic collapse, but gingrich cashed in. and newt is the only speaker in history to be reprimanded. he was fined $300,000 for ethics violations by a republican congress. newt gingrich, too much baggage. >> now, get a load of this. newt gingrich, the guy who practically invented the idea of vilifying political opponents, is now whining about romney's attacks? >> i challenge governor romney today to tell his super pac, they have $1,400,000 of negative ads lined up in iowa next week. i challenge him to get the souper pac to run positive ads and compete on a positive basis.

>> let's turn to howard dean. governor, good to have you with us tonight. >> thanks for having me on, ed. >> you bet. what do you make of newt gingrich whining about the process? did you ever think you'd see that day happen? >> i've seen this movie before. eight years ago on the democratic side when i was the front-runner. here's what's going to happen. i'll predict to you right now that either ron paul or rick santorum are going to win the primaries and neither romney nor gingrich will win the caucus in iowa, neither romney nor gingrich will win the caucus in iowa. if romney's not careful, he'll come in fourth. what happens when you do this, for mitt romney to think he's not going to get the blame for what his pac does is crazy. he's going to get the blame. he's going to tear down gingrich. gingrich can't match him. they're both going down together.

how far they go down, we don't know. if mitt romney doesn't come in third at least in iowa, he's got a problem when he goes to new hampshire. >> could this be a real political opening for ron paul? i mean, these two guys are duking it out, and one thing about ron paul, governor, is that he is consistently on the rise. he hasn't taken any dips. what do you make of that? >> i think ron paul is a very interesting candidate with some enthusiastic support, but he's not going to be the president. you've got to have -- people have got to imagine you president of the united states at the end of the day in order to vote for you. i think he's got a very strong following. he's very well organized. and he might well win iowa. if i had to bet right now, i'd think he'd be the front-runner. but he's not going to win new hampshire. he's not going to win some of these other states and not going to be the nominee. the best thing that -- this is very smart on romney's part, by taking down gingrich and making

sure gingrich doesn't have momentum coming out of iowa. if it hurts romney's candidacy in the short run, ron paul winning in iowa helps romney enormously. if you have to choose between the two of them, you're going to choose mitt romney. >> as far as gingrich is concerned, he's putting out positive ads like this. let's take a look. >> is there anything for inspiring than american towns and neighborhoods brightly lit for the holidays? >> reminds us of the fire of freedom that burns bright in the america we love. >> merry christmas. happy new year. i'm calista gingrich. >> i'm newt gingrich. i approve this message. >> doesn't get more all-american than that. does something like this work in this environment -- >> nope. >> -- where this super pac is beating the tar out of him? >> it doesn't work. this is the death spiral. i got into this with dick gephardt. i didn't know i was putting the ads in the air. it was my campaign that did it. apparently gephardt wanted to take us down because he needed to win. we apparently retaliated. that was the end of both of us. so, you know, this is a bad spiral to be in. romney's made the calculation he can afford to lose the iowa caucuses and he's got to keep gingrich from winning it at all

costs. if that's his calculation, i'm not an expert on republican politics, but if that's true, he's going to succeed. >> why do you think gingrich is is slipping so fast? what is it? what has he done that has caused this spiral? >> well, look, these negative ads work, ed. i hate to say it, but they do. they're throwing everything at him but the kitchen sink. attacking him. gingrich doesn't have the money or organization to respond. gingrich took off only about two or three weeks ago. so now he's suddenly going to come up with this iowa machine that everybody else -- not everybody else -- but ron paul and mitt romney have had for months? it's just impossible. it's an impossible situation for newt. it really is. you know, i've been in this situation. it's very, very difficult when you're having all that money thrown at you. >> finally, governor -- >> and you don't have an organization and don't have a ton of money. >> finally, governor, the move

by the social conservatives, many in iowa to support rick santorum. what does that mean ten days out? >> well, look, the republicans don't have a nominee. romney is the one that looks the most like a nominee. he's the most, probably the best appealing to independents. but the rank and file of the republican party don't like him. you've seen what the tea party has done with the republicans in the house. boehner doesn't run the republican party in the house anymore. they're even stronger in the caucuses. they're well organized. they do not like mitt romney. they're casting a doubt. every time they seize on a candidate, the candidate implodes. whether it was rick perry, because he couldn't put two sentences together, or herman cain because of his infidelities, or newt because of his past baggage. romney's, of course, having to take down newt. newt has not imploded on his own. maybe he would have at some point. romney is spending a couple million bucks because if he knows newt gingrich wins the iowa caucuses romney has a fight in his hands. if romney keeps him from winning

the iowa caucuses, romney is home free with 30% of the republican vote and the other 70% wishing they were someplace else. that's why santorum is coming back. because gingrich has been destroyed, their last hope is santorum or paul. >> governor dean, great to have you with us tonight. thanks so much. >> thanks, ed. did i stiff this man out after a drink? he says yes. i honestly, honestly don't remember. a very special "psycho talk" is next. later, wisconsin senate majority leader scott fitzgerald sends around a fund-raising e-mail claiming fraud of the scott walker recall effort. a recall volunteer knocks down his claims. now she wants an apology. and in "psycho talk"

and in "psycho talk" tonight, earlier this week i had coffee at the white house with about ten others of the liberal persuasion. well, that didn't sit too well with the folks over on fox. >> this lump of lefties included schultz, rachel maddow, a few bloggers, too boring to mention, and that lady from "the nation." the crowd in this room was bigger than their collective audience. basically it was occupy the white house without the drum circle and vandalized porta-potty. >> cheap shots all over the place. come on. moments later commentator bob beckel and former white house press secretary dana perino reminded the group that president bush did exactly the same thing with right wing talkers. >> it's one of the outreach

things you do with media. you know, you've been through this before. i mean, they used to have on the white house when george bush was there, you had a lot of conservative radio people out, right? >> once a year. >> yeah. and so that's -- >> that was great. >> bush used to get togethers. is there a difference between that and this? >> well, not -- >> when you hear about that? >> not really. >> nevertheless, host eric bolling, well, he had to get something off his chest, totally unrelated to the topic at hand. >> i went over to dell fresco's over there and met ed schultz by accident, bumped into him, bought him a scotch. you'd think being a successful tv guy, you'd think he'd buy a drink back. never once offered to buy a drink. >> sorry, dude. i didn't realize you were looking for a handout. but for the record, now, for the record, first of all, i don't drink with republicans, but i do not remember neating eric bolling ever. yes, i do go to del fresco's.

it's a nice restaurant. i love going over there. i do enjoy crown royal and a diet coke. the people who know me, come on, they know i'm pretty good at picking up the tab. heck, it's the holiday season. so let's not call it "psycho talk" tonight. but just do me a favor, eric. if you do see me out any time, just identify yourself and if it really bothers you, i'll give you a handout. and i'll buy you a cool one. mitt romney made a hard turn in new hampshire last night. and repeated a six-month-old lie about the president's economic record. newt gingrich proves once again he's only interested in governing a select few. after he tells a gay man to vote for president obama. that man, scott arnold, of iowa, will join me later in this program. [ male announcer ] meet lafayette. we asked him to be part of an experiment to prove that febreze air effects can eliminate tough cooking odors. [ moderator ] take a deep breath and then tell me what you smell.

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president obama lectured us

about teddy roosevelt's philosophy of government, but he failed to mention the important difference between teddy roosevelt and himself. roosevelt believed that government should level the playing field to create equal opportunities. president obama believes that government should create equal outcomes. >> mitt romney says president obama wants government to create outcomes. sounds like socialism to me. romney unveiled a new stump speech in new hampshire last night where he said the president was guilty of wealth redistribution. >> in an entitlement society, everyone receives the same or similar rewards. regardless of education, effort and willingness to take risk. that which is earned by some is redistributed to others. and the only people who truly enjoy real rewards are those that get to do the redistributing. >> i mean, can this guy be any more dishonest? does he really believe president obama is redistributing wealth so no one is rewarded for hard work?

i mean, the nation's bankers, they would disagree. they're on track for record bonuses this year. that's right. and if you look at corporate profits, well, they're at a record high as well. so president obama wants the richest americans to return to the clinton-era tax rates, and trust me, the rich is going to be just fine even if they have to go up 3% more in the income tax bracket. romney continues to blatantly lie. >> i've heard stories of the great obama recession. of families getting by on less. of long planned for retirements replaced by two jobs at minimum wage. >> all right. here we go again. this isn't the first time romney spread the lie about the obama recession. he did it when he announced his candidacy in june. >> when he took office, the economy was in recession and he made it worse. and he made it last longer. >> well, way back in june, the lie about obama's recession was completely debunk. the national bureau of economic research said "june 2009 marks

the end of the recession that began in december of 2007." wall street, let me tell you, they are not in a recession. check out how the dow jones has gone up in the past three years. you in the market? you ought to be. the nation's gdp growth has been in positive territory since president obama's first year. you like that? so i guess we're down to two options here. one is that mitt romney is completely divorced from reality. option two is he's lying and willing to say anything to get elected. and i vote for option two. >> i think people recognize that i'm not a partisan republican, that i'm someone who is moderate and my views are progressive. >> moderate. it's one thing for mitt romney to flip-flop on his own positions, it's another thing for him to blatantly lie over and over again about the existing record of the president of the united states. i'm joined tonight by joy-ann reid, msnbc contributor and managing editor of the grio.com.

john nichols, washington correspondent for "the nation" magazine. joy-ann. >> great to be here. >> will the real mitt romney please stand up? >> it's amazing. what you seeing here is desperation. mitt romney is not popular with the base of the republican party. they want someone who's going to be a harder slugger and jab his finger at barack obama and call him a socialist to his face or call him maybe a mau, mau kenyan. he's trying to play the role. it's actually rather pathetic. the speech sounds like it could have been written -- steve bennett was right. could have been written by glenn beck. it's not dignified to completely change your character to be what the base wants. you're supposed to be a leader. how does that show leadership quality? >> john, don't tax cuts for the rich create these outcomes they've been preaching all these years? what do you make of it. >> absolutely. ed, we have had redistribution of the wealth for a number of years. unfortunately, it's been

redistribution upward. we've been taking money from working folks and moving it to the wealthiest people in this country. we did it with bank bailouts. we did it with tax breaks for the rich. even president obama just a year ago was forced to compromise and make estate tax changes that benefited millionaires and billionaires. this has hardly been a period where the wealthy have been suffering. you know, the problem with mitt romney making this line is, i think it just reemphasized his desperation as has been said before. he is trying to compete with newt gingrich to be the republican who's most likely to accuse barack obama of being a socialist. the problem is, it really is crazy on this stuff. >> i'm just amazed, though. the guy's lying. he's been lying for six months. he's shifting all over the place. joy-ann, how does he get away with it? >> factually.

a multiple choice mitt. it fits. he'll say anything to be president. it's one thing to have the ambition to be president of the united states. it's quite another to contort and twist yourself to say literally anything you think will get you there. think that plays into the worst part of mitt romney's reputation. >> john, if romney believes that president obama is the entitlement president, why doesn't he take a stand on the payroll tax holiday which is the hottest debate in washington and in the country right now? >> the most painful thing to watch today was mitt romney doing a press availability in new hampshire where the reporters had to ask him again and again and again, where do you stand on this issue where there's a clear divide? in a two-minute period, mitt romney took every single stand on the issue. he was all the way from being with bernie sanders over to being with john boehner and everything in between. the fact is, the guy just cannot take a clear stand. he's had a problem with this again and again, but in this closing argument speech, he is trying to out anti-socialist newt gingrich and it just isn't going to work. it rings so very false that i

think it reemphasizes all of the things that worry a lot of republicans and also just a lot of americans beyond the republican base, with regard to mitt romney. he just doesn't seem real. >> to both of you, joy-ann, it would seem to me the obama white house would love to go up against mitt romney. i mean, president obama would tear him up in a debate. he's got so many positions to work on. what do you think? >> pick any of them. with romney, there's another thing in addition to what john nichols was saying. it reinforces a core problem for the republican party. they are the 1%. the party that is defending the wealthy and saying we won't let them pay a dime more in taxes. we'd like the poor to pay tax. they're the ones who don't pay. we think the rich are better people, more moral. the ian rand view of the world that the vast majority of americans don't share. most americans don't think there's something wrong with people who lost their homes. >> do you think this is going to hurt him in iowa, in new hampshire? are the people of new hampshire paying attention to this stuff?

>> well, it is somewhat problematic because his problem in new hampshire is that he continues to bleed support to a more genuinely moderate candidate, jon huntsman. and for romney to make the sort of tin ear decision to go after the newt gingrich base at a time when it seems that gingrich is starting to lose support, i think is a tactical error. i don't think it's going to help him. i don't think right wingers are going to come to him and it will cause moderates to look at jon huntsman. >> joy-ann reid, john nichols. thanks for being on "the ed show" tonight. scott walker puts out a cheesy christmas ad. with the recall effort moving along, it may not be a very happy new year for the governor. the latest on the walker recall coming up. [ male announcer ] when a moment suddenly turns romantic, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready

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taken down by a recall supporter. later newt gingrich gets confronted on the issue of gay marriage. we will have an interview with the gentleman who spoke directly with the candidate. don't forget to tweet us using #edshow.

to the middle of the country, the heartland, the attempt to recall governor scott walker of wisconsin is well ahead of schedule. these folks have done a heck of a job. they're going to get a million signatures. in one month the democrats have collected over 500,000 signatures. they only need about another 40,000 to get it done. they've got a month to do it. they're ahead of schedule. working hard at it. governor scott walker is doing

his part, too. he has filled his recall war chest with $5.1 million. his party is charging full speed ahead with his attempts to discredit the democratic recall process. now, senate majority leader scott fitzgerald recently sent out a fund-raising letter accusing democrats in his district of including signatures from mickey mouse in the recall petition. this week, one of fitzgerald's constituents confronted him with the truth about fraud. >> i have personally reviewed every single one of the 10,000 and counting signatures that we've gathered. >> i think, obviously, it's a statewide issue. >> mickey mouse, adolf hitler, stuff like that is not going to get by me. it won't be turned into the g.a.b. you're accusing us, you're saying that you need help to fight the fraud that's happening right now in the recall petitions in your district. and so you're accusing me of fraud, you're accusing my volunteers of fraud. yes, you are. you said it. issue an apology to me and my volunteers. issue a correction. >> okay. thanks a lot. >> are you going to do either one of those?

>> no, i'm not going to do either one of those. >> confronted with a truth about voter fraud, scott fitzgerald refuses to admit his mistake. meanwhile, governor scott walker is trying to mend fences with a new campaign commercial. >> we're grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of wisconsin. in this season of peace, our hope is that we can put our differences aside and move forward together. >> from our family to yours, blessings of the season. >> blessings. we just don't want you to collectively bargain our get paid a living wage. such a sweet message this holiday season, scott. but it's hard to forget. you spent the better part of this year waging war on working wisconsi wisconsinites. it's hard to put aside the fact you put money out of the pockets of public employees and took away their right to collectively bargain. there's a reason you're being recalled, governor. people aren't going to forget about it because of a sappy holiday commercial. nice try. if elected president, newt

gingrich promises to govern a select part of society. don't believe me. we'll show you the tape that proves it. next, scott arnold, the man who confronted gingrich, the candidate, over marriage equality. he'll join me next. stay with us. [ gargling ] oo-ay-ow. savings. savings. savings? progressive was the first to offer online quoting. you can do better. first to show comparison rates. ding! the "name your price" tool. oh! gosh, don't mind if i do.

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"the ed show" stur va tonight, i asked the audience will republicans pay the political price for raising taxes on 160 million americans? 97% of you say yes. 3% of you say no. coming up, newt gingrich says if you think gay marriage is a big issue in 2012, you should just go ahead and vote for president obama. the iowa voter he said that to joins me next. nyquil:what? tissue box (whispering): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. and get a cold... ...you need a cold medicine with a heart.

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welcome back to "the ed show." excuse me. newt gingrich proves once again that he's not interested in being president of the entire united states. he's only interested in governing a select few. yesterday gingrich was approached on the subject of marriage equality in iowa by a gay man named scott arnold. and even though gingrich, himself, has experienced the joys of marriage several times, the former speaker believes a portion of the population is not entitled to the same right. here's the exchange. >> my question is, is how do you plan to engage such a large community of people who on this one specific issue do not support you? may agree with you on the other parts you stand for.

how to you plan to engage and get the vote of gay americans and those who support them? >> i think for those for whom, the only issue that really matters is the definition of marriage, i won't get their support, and i accept that that's a reality. on the other hand, for whom it's not the central issue in their life, if they care about the job creation, if they care about national security, if they care about a better future for the country at large, then i don't think i'll get their support. >> so what if it is the biggest issue? >> then i won't get their support. >> and how do we engage you? >> well, you should be for obama. >> joining me is the man who confronted gingrich in iowa, scott arnold. i appreciate your time. you're openly an obama supporter. so what was your curiosity level to go talk to the former

speaker? why did you want to talk to newt gingrich? >> well, i guess i did go into the event with an open mind and my question was directed at him sort of as a hypothetical. if you are elected president, and i, you know -- you are my leader as an american, how do you plan to engage gay americans when your agenda or things you have said, comments you've made in the past clearly don't support us? i wanted to know where we fit in. essentially. >> were you surprised by the answer? >> i was very surprised. i guess looking back, it was almost as if he drew a line in the sand saying, you know, i don't want your support. go vote for this other guy because there's no place for you in my, you know, in my presidency, there's no place for you almost in a sense, you know, as an american, you know, what do we do?

what do gay americans do if newt gingrich was president? it was baffling really. >> you pointed out to him that would effect millions of americans. his answer was so yesteryear. newt gingrich told you if he gets to the white house, he's not going to engage in your issues or the gay community. what does this say about the republican party if anything? >> i think one, it says there's a huge disconnect between the republican party and millions of americans, not only gay americans but people who support gay americans. gay families. bigger, if he's going to be the president of the united states, this becomes a worldwide issue. i mean, hillary clinton's speech at the u.n. recently, you know, gay rights are human rights. there are places in this world where gays are killed, even in the united states. so i think it's just very irresponsible of him. when people look to the united states to be a leader, if he's our president, he's not leading on this issue. >> he says if you're interested in jobs, i assume that you're a good red blooded american like

everybody out there. you're interested in jobs. >> exactly. >> you're an adjunct professor, an educated man. did he convince you on that front about jobs? that he could be a guy that could create jobs? >> no. absolutely not. but i guess what he doesn't realize is is that a lot of americans hold social issues near and dear to their heart. i mean, what's the point of a job if you're not happy? and how are gay americans supposed to be happy and inspired and live the life that they are afforded, i guess, as an american, with him in charge? that's what i think the issue is. >> do you think you did the gay community in this country a big favor by pushing him on this exchange? >> you know, i read a couple message boards where someone asked if this was part of the gay agenda or someone planted me in the audience to ask him this question. you know, i guess the question that i asked him from my heart in a reactory sort of moment

where i was speaking from the gut. i didn't, i guess, have the interest of all gay americans in mind when i asked, but that's why i'm talking to you. yeah. i think this needs to be told. i think that people need to know what he said. and, you know, i'm happy to do it. >> most of the gop presidential hopefuls have criticized the lifting of don't ask, don't tell, and support amending the constitution to divine as exclusively between a man and a woman. what kind of message is the republican party sending to gay americans? >> a message that we're second class citizens. like you said, it's from yesteryear. it's not progressive. it's not -- >> did you feel like a second-class citizen the way he talked to you last night? >> yeah. if he wants to be president, he should be president of all americans. and, yeah, that did make me feel like a second-class citizen. absolutely. >> scott arnold, good to have you on the program tonight. thanks for speaking out.