tv The Ed Show MSNBC March 16, 2012 8:00pm-9:00pm EDT
8:00 pm
st. patrick's day. "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. good evening, americans, welcome to "the ed show" from new york. breaking news, the white house has just released new contraception guidelines as the republican war on women rages on. we'll bring you live coverage of the president's remarks in atlanta, georgia. it's a huge night for news. it's "the ed show," let's get to work. we don't think that whether it's planned parenthood or one of their affiliates that they should be getting our dollars to be used in their programs. >> texas picks a fight with the white house over women's health. and the white house is fighting back. in pennsylvania, the governor keeps on talking, and in arizona, things are getting ugly. >> go on to the full senate and i think this law will be signed by the governor. >> tonight, the obama administration makes a major announcement on contraception. sandra fluke is responding. we'll have the latest. i believe we're in a recovery mode, finally i think it's likely things will get
8:01 pm
better. >> mitt romney slips up and tells the truth to republicans. rick santorum is campaigning against porn. howard fineman has the latest on the republican circus. major news out of wisconsin. democrats score a major victory, john nichols of "the nation" has the latest. good to have you with us tonight folks, thanks for watching. in february, president obama announced a compromise on contraception and women's health care, he stood his ground and righties aren't going to like it. atowarding to the new rule from the department of health and human services, religious universities will not have to offer contraception directly, but both students and employees of those institutions will be able to get birth control from insurance companies without a co-pay. hhs is also considering three options to implement the resident's birth control for no co-pay policy with religiously affiliated self-insured employers. third party administrators would
8:02 pm
provide contraception in cases where employers act as insurers. the department wants feedback from the public on those ideas. the college student who became the center of the contraception controversy after rush limbaugh's vicious attacks, says she has a few concerns about the new plan but overall sandra fluke says she likes what hhs has done. meanwhile, states are continuing their efforts to strip women's rights and roll back services in health care options. in pennsylvania, for instance, republican governor tom corbett is getting more heat for his defense of a state mandated ultrasound for women considering an abortion. >> excuse me, can you tell me why you supported the ultrasound bill? >> it's a position i took a while ago, it's just on the outside, it's not invasive. that's why. >> the bill does not contain the language trans vaginal ultrasound. a woman still could be forced
8:03 pm
into having one if the embryo is too small. meanwhile the texas republicans are so hell-bent on defunding planned parenthood they are willing to put thousands of lives at risk. the texas program which provides cancer screenings, contraceptions, and basic health care to low income women will lose federal funding because of governor rick perry's decision to block planned parenthood from the state's medicaid program. by excludeing family planning providers, texas broke federal medicaid rules. as "the washington post" reports, the program served about 130,000 women in texas with the federal government footing 90% of the bill. governor rick perry says the state will pick up the tab for the program. but he is yet to say where he'll get the money. perry went on fox news to accuse president obama of playing politics even though the federal law perry is fighting was in place during the bush administration. we're not going to let the
8:04 pm
program die, we'll find the money somewhere. it's sad you have an administration more interested in paying off and rewarding their political supporters and using this as a political issue. >> make no mistake, these republican lawmakers are playing politics with both women's bodies, rush limbaugh, woke up a sleeping giant whether he went after sandra fluke and america's eyes are wide open to what is going on state-by-state. lawmakers in congress are starting to get it. >> i think that my part ne is in an unfortunate place right now. as viewed by many, many women in this country, who are feeling very anxious about what they believe to be attacks on women's health. >> bottom line, politicians who use women as political pawns will lose every time. get your cell phones out. tonight's question, do you trust
8:05 pm
republicans with women's health issue, text a for yes, b for no to 622639. go to our blog ed.msnbc obam.co. we'll have results later. i'm joined by krystal ball and terry o'neill of the national organization for women. terry, you first tonight, clearly the white house is standing its ground after listening to all the criticism, but this is also the compromise that the catholic health organizations wanted. how is this going to play out? >> well, this an advance notice of proposed rule making, this is another small step in a process through which we will eventually learn how all employers of religiously affiliated employ s employers, churches, so forth, will comply with the requirement and it's a very simple requirement, that health insurance companies must cover a list of services, including a
8:06 pm
list of preventive services. birth control is on the list. what the white house said today they are looking at options for house self-insured religiously affiliated colleges and hospitals and non-profits will comply. >> since the religious organizations free, they have no responsibility whatsoever, but they can't be denied from a third party. how could this be impeding on religious freedom? >> it's fascinating, what the white house has said is that the religious organizations should not be forced to pay for birth control, if they think birth control is against their religious principles, but at the same time, women who do not believe that birth control is against their religious principals must have access to birth control on the same basis as all other women. so what the white house is saying to the religious organizations okay you don't have to pay but the women have access to it.
8:07 pm
the religious organizations are therefore in a really tight spot, because what they actually want and what they are demanding is that the government step over the line of establishing a religion in violation of the first amendment, and force a law that says a woman can be deprived of birth control and the religious institutions keep claiming their own religious liberty, the white house is giving them that. >> sure they are. >> krystal, where does the battle go from here? >> interestingly, i think what this has shown is that the republicans put their foot in their mouth, drew a line in the sand and the president on the other hand has been reasonable. he offered up an initial rule from hhs, it was received push back, he was willing to make accommodation, the people are saying the president is being reasonable. the republicans are still stuck in this mindset. if you remember the blunt amendment they tried to push through that senator mccaskill
8:08 pm
voted for and regretted, would have gone so far not just in undermining women's health but health care bill altogether and allowing employers broad ability to deny coverage for anything they found objectionable. >> this spiralled out of control as far as being a big campaign issue. democrats are attacking mitt romney on women's health issues. here is the latest ad, let's look at it. >> romney says he wants to get rid of planned parenthood, ending federal support for critical health care services like cancer screenings for thousands of women here in illinois. >> planned parenthood we're going to get rid of that. >> supports legislation to allow employers to deny women affordable access to health care services like contraception. he supports extreme policies that would take away a woman's right to choose and ban many forms of birth control including the pill. despite his attack, he's being supported by the prominent local politicians. what are they thinking? >> the democrats couldn't be asking for a better ad right
8:09 pm
now. what do you think? >> that's right. this is not a partisan issue. access to contraception, access to birth control something that was settled decades ago. this goes to the core of women having control of their lives, if you ask economists, a big part of the reason that women have been able t make the gains they can in the work place because they can plan their families and take control over their lives and that is where the term "birth control" comes from. this reaches across the spectrum, you'll have a lot of republican women who are are very disturbed at this attack on planned parenthood, which most of what it does is provide cancer screenings, preventive health care and access to contraception. >> terry, do you see the republicans retreating on this at all? we played the sound byte from murkowski who voted for the blunt amendment, went home and got a rash of comment on it and is now saying if she had a chance to vote over again it
8:10 pm
would be different. do you think there will be more of that in the republican party? it's a real image issue right now for them. >> i don't know if there will be more of it. olympia snowe decided she wouldn't run again in part because of the atmosphere in which republicans moe support birth control are not being permitted vote their consciences. good for lisa murkowski to recognize it. look at rick perry, the governor of pennsylvania. in arizona. >> these governors are running an unbelievable radical agenda and women in every state in america need to pay attention. krystal ball and terry o'neill thank you for joining us. the president is addressing supporters in atlanta, georgia, we'll join him when we come back. you're watching schultz hulls on msnbc, we're right back. epperon?
8:11 pm
8:13 pm
you t the presidents live remarks in atlanta georgia, stay tuned, we're right back. [ male announcer ] this is lawn ranger -- eden prairie, minnesota. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪
8:14 pm
welcome back do "the ed show." we have a lot to get in tonight. let's join president obama speaking live at a fundraiser in atlanta, georgia. >> you don't have to hide who you love to serve the country you love. we ended don't ask don't tell. change is keeping the promise i made in 2008 for the first time in nine years, there are no americans fighting in iraq. we decided to refocus on the folks who actually attacked us on 9-11 and thanks to the brave men and women in uniform al qaeda is weaker than it has ever
8:15 pm
been and osama bin laden is not walking the face of this earth. none of this has been easy. we have a lot of work to do. a lot of folks still pounding the pavement looking for work. a lot of people whose homes values have dropped. a lot of people who are are struggling to make the rent. still too many families who can barely pay their bills. too many young people still living in poverty. i was reading a statistic the other day few of half african americans believe we'll reach the dream dr. king left for us. so, we've still got so much work to do. and i know when we look at what is, it can be heart breaking and
8:16 pm
frustrating. but i ran for resident and you joined this cause, because we don't settle just for what is. we strive for what might be. we want to help more americans reach that dream. i ran for president to give every child a chance. whether he's born in atlanta or comes from rural town in the delta. i ran for president not just to get us back to where we were, but to take us forward where we need to be. and i'm telling you atlanta we'll get there. step-by-step we'll get there. already over the past two years businesses have added almost four million new jobs. manufacturers are creating jobs for the first time since the 1990's, the recovery is accelerating, the economy is getting stronger. we're moving on the right track.
8:17 pm
what we can't do is go back to the same politics that got us in this mess in the first place. of course that's exactly what the other folks want to do. the folks who are running for president. and they make no secret about it. they want to roll back the laws that we put in place, so that wall street can play by their own rules again. they want to go back to the day when insurance companies could deny you coverage or jack up your premiums any time they want to without reason. they want to spend trillions more on tax breaks for the very wealthiest of individuals. even if it means adding to the deficit, gutting things likes education or our investment in clean energy or making sure medicare is stable. their philosophy is simple. everybody is just left to fend
8:18 pm
for themselves, if those in power could make their own rules, then some how it will trickle down to you. and they're wrong. they're wrong, they were wrong when they tried it. and they're wrong now. and the united states of america, we're always greater together than we are on our own. we're always better off whether we keep the basic american promise. if you work hard, do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, put away a little for retirement. that is the choice in the election, we have different visions being presented. this is not another political debate this is the defining issue of our time. what are we going to do to make sure that middle class families are secure and that we continue to build ladders for people trying to get in the middle
8:19 pm
class? we don't need -- we don't need an economy built on outsourcing and bad debt and phony financial profits. we need an economy built to last. an economy that is built on american manufacturing. american energy and giving skills to american workers. and holding up those values that we cherish, hard work, fair play, shared responsibility. when we think about the next generation of manufacturing, i don't want to take a route in asia, i want it to take floot atlanta. i don't want this nation to be known for buying an consuming things from other countries, i want to build and sell to other countries products made in the united states of america. i want to stop rewarding businesses that are shipping jobs overseas, i want to reward companies like this one that are
8:20 pm
creating jobs right here in the united states of america. i want to make sure that our schools are the envy of the world. and that means investing in the men and women who stand in front of the classroom, you know, a good teacher increases the income of a classroom by over $2500. a great teacher can help a child move by beyond their immediate circumstances and reach out for their dreams. i don't want washington to defend the status quo but i don't want them to be bashing teachers, i want to give schools the resources they need to keep good teachers on the job and reward the best teachers, teach with creativity and passion, stop teaching to the test, replace teachers that aren't helping kids learn. i want us to create in this
8:21 pm
country the kind of passion and reference for education. that is not just by the way a job of government but a job of each of us as parents, community leaders. and when kids do graduate i want them to afford to go to college. we've got more tuition debt than credit card debt today. and by the way, right now, interest rates are scheduled to go up on student loans in july if congress does not act you need to get on congress about that. i've said to college and universities, you have to stop tuition from going up and up and up. higher education can't be a luxu luxury, it's an economic imperative that every family should be able to afford. i want an economy that is supporting the scientist and researchers that will make sure we discover the next breakthrough in biotechnology, in clean energy, you know we
8:22 pm
have subsidized oil companies for 100 years. give them $4 billion of tax breaks when they are making near record profits. it is time to stop giving tax give aways to an industry never been more profitable and start investing in clean energy that can create jobs here in the united states and solar power and wind power, biofuels. we need to give our businesses the best infrastructure in the world. newer roads and airports and faster railroads and internet access. you take half the money we have been spending on the wars in iraq, as we phase down the war in afghanistan. let's pay down -- use half of it to pay down the debt use the other half to do nation building here at home, put people to work. rebuilding schools. rebuilding our bridges, rebuilding our ports. and to pay for this we have to
8:23 pm
have a tax system that is fair. i was with warren buffet a couple days ago, he says thanks for naming a rule after me. it's a very simple principle, the buffet rule, if you make more than a million dollars a year you should not pay a lower tax rate than your secretary. we've said if you make less than $250,000 a year, which is 98% of americans, your taxes shouldn't go up. but folks like me, we can afford to do a little more. tyler can afford to do a little more. he knows -- he knows that. when we say that, this is not class warfare, this is not envy. this is just basic math.
8:24 pm
because if tyler or i or others get tax breaks we don't need, weren't asking for the country can't afford, then one of two things will happen. either the deficit goes up, all these other folks they say they want to do something about the deficit, every plan increases the deficit. or alternatively, they got to make up for it by taking it away from somebody who really needs it. the student who suddenly sees their interest on their loans going up. the senior who has to pay more for medicare, the veteran who is not getting help after having protected us. the family trying to get by. it's not right. it's not who we are. i hear a lot of politicians talk about values during election year. you know what, i'm happy to have a values debate.
8:25 pm
i'm happy to have a debate about values. i think about the values my mother and grandparents taught me, hard work, that is a value. looking out for one another, that's a value. i am my procedubrother's keeper my sister's keeper, that is a value. each of us is only here because somebody somewhere was looking out for us. it started in the family, but it wasn't just the immediate family. there was somebody in church, there was somebody in the neighborhood, there was the coach of the little league. there was somebody who made an investment in our country's future. our story has never been about what we can do alone it's what we can do together.
8:26 pm
we don't win the race for new jobs and middle class security and new businesses with "you are on your own" economics it does not work. it didn't work on the decade before the great depression, it did not work in the decade before i took office. it won't work now. this is about who we are as a country. the opportunities we've always, always passed on to future generations. when i think about michelle and me and where we come from -- you know -- i know y'all love michelle. [ cheering ] >> i know. i love her too. but i think about sometimes we'll be in the white house and
8:27 pm
we think about my mother-in-law who lives upstairs, was a secretary, michelle's dad had mul multiple sclerosis, went to work every day. my mom raising me a single mom. i think about you know what they did for us, and the sacrifices they made and so then i think well the sacrifices that i have to make given all the blessings i've received, they can't just extend to malia and sasha, i have to think about somebody else's kids. i have to make sure that somebody else gets a student loan who is maybe a single mom going back-to-school like my mom was able to get a student loan,
8:28 pm
so to get an education. i'm thinking we've got to make sure that jobs are out there for folks who are willing to work and overcoming barriers. i'm willing to make sacrifices for that. that makes my life better, right? and most of you understand that. you understand if you invest in a teacher, and then she teaches somebody who is the next steve jobs or invents some cure for a major disease, that makes us all better. >> president obama speaking to supporters in atlanta, georgia tonight, live here on msnbc. krystal ball is still with me, up next we're joined karen finney richard wolffe, howard fineman on mitt romney's foot in mouth disease about how he says the economy is getting better.
8:29 pm
big news out of wisconsin one of the senators up for recall resigns, what does this mean for the race in the senate? john nichols with me on that, we're right back. [ captain ] sorry folks, our landing time got moved back another hour. [ crowd chatters and groans ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] hunger getting to you?
8:30 pm
grab a ritz crackerfuls. made with real cheese and whole grain, it'll help keep you satisfied until your next meal. get hunger before it gets you. it'll help keep you satisfied until your next meal. today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers. gomery and abigail higgins had... ...a tree that bore the most rare and magical fruit. which provided for their every financial need. and then, in one blinding blink of an eye, their tree had given its last. but with their raymond james financial advisor, they had prepared for even the unthinkable.
8:31 pm
and they danced. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. my first car had deer lights on top... a spare tire strapped to the front grill... and the seat was more of a small couch made of green pleather. it was hideous. it was loud. it was my mom and dad's way of forcing abstinence i'm sure. and it worked....sadly. [ male announcer ] animate and share your first car story at firstcarstory.com. courtesy of the 2012 subaru impreza. experience love that lasts. ♪
8:32 pm
8:33 pm
and msnbc contributor krystal ball, great to have all of you with us tonight. richard, the president working the room, four stops today. our twitter is blowing up, they like the idea of a values debate. what about that? >> a lot of people said the president is in campaign mode, that only scratches the surface of what he's doing here. he's doing what the republican candidates said he couldn't do, he's running on his record. the values story that personal moment that he just told about his mother, about his wife's parents, that puts some connected tissue in there about the choices he has made and the choices voters have. are they going to be voting for a go it alone economy or one where you making vestments and build for the future and that is what he's trying to do with the speech and fund-raisers. >> karen finney, we're seeing the president again show his
8:34 pm
emotions on his sleeve he's very real when he talks, whereas you look at mitt romney he's mechanical. is this the void for the republicans right now, what do you think? >> absolutely, look the president is in talking about his story, and his life, he's talking about the american story, an american story. a mom who goes back-to-school to be able to help provide for her family. a kid who is raised in part by his grandparents. there are a lot of americans, i don't care what color or gender or religion you are, who can relate to some of these story, to some of the struggles. to the challenge of wanting to get in college and do better and wanting to do well by your children. so sure, he's talking about his values, on the other hand mitt romney talks about cadillacs and tree heights and nascar team owners and football team owners. i don't think most of us can relate. >> and getting right of planned parenthood. >> that is a great point.
8:35 pm
the president again tonight says look, the wealthy have to pay a little bit more. he's still on the theme, krystal. of shared sacrifice, he doesn't get off that and talks about if you make a million or $250,000 below that you won't get hit. >> it's because it's something that resonates with americans. it resonates with american values. his whole speech is centered around a very optimistic message, a can-do message of we won't accept what is. the other thing that struck me about this is this was a speech at a fund-raiser, in front of his base, that was who was there. and yet you could play that speech anywhere in america and it's a message that resonates with americans across the country and that is something that in contrast to the republicans, is quite striking because their message has been so limit and so far to the right, talking about contraception and now rick santorum wants to ban porn, that it just doesn't connect with most american people. >> richard wolffe, the story
8:36 pm
that came out to the day the treasure trove that was part by seal team 6 revealed osama bin laden wanted to take out president obama and general petraeus and the president obviously didn't know that. he made this call to go after osama bin laden not knowing he was being targeted. the dynamics of all this, does this strengthen his case when it comes to decision making and leadership? >> anything that reminds the american people of that extraordinary moment that decision to take out bin laden, anything that does that will help the resident because it's unchallengeable, there is nothing that the other candidates can do that come close to it. and it reminds voters that look, this hunt went on for a very long time. president bu president bush invested a lot personally, president obama got it done in a very gutsy decision. the intelligence around it is fascinating. al qaeda was a threat. it has reshaped our strategic
8:37 pm
thinking about al qaeda, afghanistan, and it opened up new areas that any president going forward can look at. so that is a moment of leadership, incredible story, what you saw in 2004 was president bush running because on an ad where he hugs a kid after a natural disaster. this is a president who can say look, i secured the country. >> karen finney, what about the fact that osama bin laden was bothered by the fact president obama was not using the term "war on terror" anymore he turned in to "war on al qaeda" the righties were giving the president all kind of heck about not using the term "war on terror" it got into bin laden's head. >> absolutely. i had the exact same reaction when i was listening to that part of the intelligence, he did come under a lot of of fire for changing the terminology and again, part of him wanting to change the terminology was to
8:38 pm
say we're moving forward. we're -- the mission is shifting, which is the right thing to do, that is part of this can-do, we'll keep going forward, not backward, and i love the fact that osama bin laden was just apparently incensed by this. i want to go to one quick thing you said the president talking about values. one of the things democrats haven't done well is frame the conversation about values on our terms. and i love hearing the president out there saying if you want to talk about values, bring it on, we'll talk about our values, one of which being we'll go get osama bin laden as part of our values and keep the country safe. >> another one is income inequality where we have seen the top 2% has gone over 30 years and middle class and blue liners have been, no doubt the democrats are winning that as a moral argument as well. krystal ball, richard wolffe, karen finney, great to have you with us. >> thanks, ed. >> next up, mitt romney uses his
8:39 pm
enormous knowledge of business to figure out the economy is getting better and admits to sean hannity it's turning around, howard fineman joins us on that and more from wisconsin, stay with us. i find the omega choices overwhelming. then i found new pronutrients omega-3. it's from centrum. it's a smaller minigel. with two of the best omegas to support my heart, brain and eyes. new pronutrients from centrum. in absolute perfect physical condition and i had a heart attack right out of the clear blue...
8:40 pm
he was just... "get me an aspirin"... yeah... i knew that i was doing the right thing, when i gave him the bayer. i'm on an aspirin regimen... and i take bayer chewables. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. so he's a success story... [ laughs ] he's my success story. [ male announcer ] learn how to protect your heart at i am proheart on facebook. without the stuff that we make here, you wouldn't be able to walk in your house and flip on your lights. [ brad ] at ge we build turbines that power the world. they go into power plants which take some form of energy, harness it, and turn it into more efficient electricity. [ ron ] when i was a kid i wanted to work with my hands, that was my thing. i really enjoy building turbines. it's nice to know that what you're building is gonna do something for the world. when people think of ge, they typically don't think about beer. a lot of people may not realize that the power needed to keep their budweiser cold and even to make their beer comes from turbines made right here. wait, so you guys make the beer?
8:41 pm
no, we make the power that makes the beer. so without you there'd be no bud? that's right. well, we like you. [ laughter ] ♪ so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life, but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead on a science adventure. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, take the lead. ask your doctor if including advair
8:42 pm
could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. welcome back to "the ed show" thanks for watching tonight. figuring out mitt romney is not an easy thing to do. now he says the economy is getting better. here's romney last night. >> this recovery and i believe we're in a recovery mode, finally. >> you think so? >> it's hard to know. no one can predict what is going to happen in the economy but i think it's likely things will get better. no recession goes on forever. this has taken much longer to recover from, in part because of the policies of the president. >> romney does not want to give any credit to president obama because it would undercut romney's entire reason for running for office. romney has screwed this issue up from the start. these three sound bytes are from
8:43 pm
june of 2011, the month he declared candidacy. >> when he took office, the economy was in recession. and he made it worse. and he made it last longer. >> he didn't create the recession. >> i didn't say things are worse, what i said was that the economy hasness turned around. >> it only got worse when laura ingraham challenged him in january of this year. >> of course it's getting better, there is always a recovery. the question is has it recovered by virtue of something the president has done or has he delayed the recovery and made it for painful? the latter is the truth. >> isn't it a hard argument to make if you're saying inherited the recession, took steps to turn the economy around now seeing more jobs, but vote against him anyway, isn't that a hard argument to make, is that a stark enough contrast? >> have you got a better one, laura, this happens to be the truth. >> here are the facts, 24 months
8:44 pm
of private sector job growth, the turn around began with the stimulus package the republicans were against. job loss slowed, then jobs were added for 24 consecutive months. let's turn to howard fineman, nbc political analyst and editorial director of the huffington post media group. good do have you with us tonight. it seems to me that mitt romney is serving up good sound bytes for the obama team to put in a commercial. when you have your opponent saying your economy plan is working, that is a good place to be, isn't it? i happened to be meeting today with a very prominent republican strategist who is just shaking his head about mitt romney. he keeps screwing up one aspect or another of the campaign, and this is a big problem for him. in his interview with fox in which he made that statement, he gave a litany of things that had not worked well for the president even though the
8:45 pm
economy was recovering. one thing he didn't mention and i thought it was a significant omission, was the auto industry bail outs. i think and the economists i've talked to think in addition to the jobs it created, the fact they turned around the auto industry had a tremendous psychological effect on the consumers and on the economy in general. >> no doubt. >> i think when the history of this is written, that very tangible thing is going to be key, and it's no accident that the president was in toledo yesterday talking to the united auto workers for precisely that reason. >> no question, joe biden was a hit with the uaw yesterday. what romney is saying, this undercuts his entire campaign, he is supposed to be the economy guy, he's supposed to be the fix-it guy and running around saying things are getting better. he's not giving anybody any reason why he should be the choice of americans.
8:46 pm
it just seems so fun da mentally tough, what do you think? >> first of all, sorry for mixes up joe biden and barack obama, but i'm sure both them will be glad for the confusion. yes, it was joe biden in toledo and the president was in maryland making the same case in some respects. i think mitt romney's problem is one of his problems he has run such a negative campaign, it's been based so much on tearing down all his opponents, including th president, that he hasn't thought through a more vivid and convincing argument for himself on the economy. he hasn't figured out how to focus on the parts of the economy that have not improved. he hasn't figured out how to make it personal. he hasn't figured out how to tell the lives of people who are suffering as a result of this very long and deep recession. there are weaknesses in the president's case. on home foreclosures, on some regions of the country, on some industries, but the romney team
8:47 pm
is focused so much on scatter gun attacks on everybody else including the resident they haven't made their own case and because they haven't, it's now coming pack to haunt them. >> illinois primary is tuesday, romney has been on fox news or fox radio almost every day this week, plus he's thrown over $3 million at illinois, running negative ads against rick santorum. i had radio callers tell me about it, almost running like a democrat he's so negative on rick santorum. how will it play out? >> well, the polls right now are showing mitt romney ahead. but rick santorum has always kind of overperformed for the most part on polls, and mitt romney's continuing to be a sort of heavier than air craft. the democrats are attacking romney hard, so that may have an effect. i think it will be close. i do think rick santorum, if he's going do make a convincing case that romney just shouldn't
8:48 pm
be the nominee mathematics aside, that rick santorum has to win one of these big industrial states. he came close but not win michigan. came close in ohio but did not win in ohio. just coming close in illinois is not going to be good enough, he will have to make that case otherwise mitt romney will once again be able to say that he cape out on top in an important industrial state. that is just the state of things right now. >> howard fineman great to have you with us tonight. still to come on "the ed show," john nichols, has the latest out of wisconsin, a republican senator up and -- up for the recall resigns, stay tuned. you're watching "the ed show." ♪ oh!
8:49 pm
[ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm! [ male announcer ] for excellent fruit and veggie nutrition... v8 v-fusion, also refreshing plus tea. could've had a v8. fight both fast with new tums freshers! concentrated relief that goes to work in seconds and freshens breath. new tums freshers. ♪ tum...tum...tum...tum... tums! ♪ [ male announcer ] fast relief, fresh breath, all in a pocket sized pack. [ male announcer ] fast relief, fresh breath, are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule.
8:50 pm
8:51 pm
8:52 pm
8:53 pm
♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] not everything powerful has to guzzle fuel. the 2012 e-class bluetec from mercedes-benz. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. achoo! [ male announcer ] but when she used tissues, she went crazy wild. tissue after tissue, she always took a ton. until mom explained with puffs ultra soft & strong, you only need one. two times stronger than the leading value brand, they always win this test. soft non-lotion pillows, they're sure to impress. now the tissue monster had gone away, and puffs ultra soft & strong saved the day. a nose in need deserves puffs ultra soft & strong indeed. for those who prefer lotion, try puffs plus lotion.
8:54 pm
ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about how some companies like to get between ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you and your money. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, we believe your money should be available ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 to you whenever and wherever you want. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 which is why we rebate every atm fee worldwide. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and why our mobile app lets you transfer funds, ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 execute trades, even deposit checks just by ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 taking a picture, right from your phone. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck and put those barriers behind you. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time.
8:55 pm
you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ >> in the big finish tonight, the battle to end scott walker's radical control of the wis wi state house took an amazing turn today. state senator pam galloway, a tea partier, one of four republicans facing recall
8:56 pm
elections this up ser. today she announced her resignation effective at midnight. she cited family health issues. the gop has now lost the senate majority in wisconsin. galloway's seat will still face a recall despite her resignation. what a difference a year makes. when the senate passed scott walker's union busting bill, republicans had a dominant 19-14 majority. it shrunk to 17-16 after democrats won two recall elections last august. now the senate is dead-locked at 16 making it very hard for walker to push through any more radical changes before the next round of recall elections in may and in june. let's turn to john nichols, washington correspondent of "the nation" magazine. how big is this? >> this is really big. a year ago, republicans controlled everything, now at a point when the governor was saying he was going to do special sessions, and when recontracting could be kicked back by the courts to the legislature, he doesn't have
8:57 pm
control of the key legislative chamber. >> this means there won't be special sessions he won't get anything done, it will be dead locked. >> unless he wants to make a deal with the democrats. >> the seat galloway is vacating, what do the democrats have, this is going to be a pick up? >> this is wausau, the hometown -- it swung republican but they were -- dems have a good candidate donna sideell. you have a big break when it comes to the numbers and recall election, biggest recall in the history of politics in america. you have a john doe investigation going on that it's like the news is just start -- the noose is starting to tighten on walker. what is it doing to his approval or disapproval rating? >> his approval rating can't get over 50, can't get near 50 in
8:58 pm
recent polls. he has a problem there. this is the wheels coming off the car kind of moment. you look at republican state senators stepping down, republicans losing control of state senate those are the things that add up to a sense of crisis, a sense of loss. >> more bad news for republican republican in wisconsin an ethics complaint has been filed by the wisconsin judicial commission against supreme court justice davis prosser who faced a recall and won -- >> regular election and won. >> regular election and won for allegedly choking a colleague. >> yeah. >> is this the first step to him being taken off the bench? how does the process work? >> it will be a bitter battle. complaint was filed, if the judicial commission determines it is a big issue could lead to removal, for that to happen you have to have a legislature that would impeach him. >> what does this mean he is going to be phasing a judicial commission for ethics violation? >> the truth of the matter is
8:59 pm
the judicial commission will make a ruling will probably then have to be decided on by the court. a messy, long situation but highlights a crisis. the colleague that was choked was a highly respected jurist. >> will they ask scott walker to get them reelected or is he politically to be ix? >> three districts, bringing walk near won't help. they have to go beyond the walker vote if they can survive. >> the money -- >> the republicans will have the money. >> that is the way it will go? >> money power versus people power, 30,000 people passed those recall petitions. >> john nichols, here in new york tonight. fix your wardrobe you have to get some green. >> that's right, have a great friday. that's "the ed show" i'm "the ed show" list
83 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC Television Archive Television Archive News Search Service The Chin Grimes TV News ArchiveUploaded by TV Archive on