mccain, but the romney camp edits it to make it sound like the president is talking about himself. >> it's going to take a new direction. if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose. >> or what about -- what about the ad accusing president obama of not visiting israel, even though only two presidents ever visited israel during his first term. >> over the past four years, president obama has traveled all over the world. he's traveled all over the middle east, yet he hasn't found time to visit our ally and friend, israel. >> i don't remember mitt romney asking carl rove's super pac to pull this ad, which falsely edits president obama's comments about businesses. >> people who've worked hard started a business and created jobs can't believe what president obama's saying about them. >> if you got a business, you didn't build that. >> now mitt romney wants candidates to ask super pacs to pull ads?

but not too long ago, mitt romney was singing a much different tune. >> the super pacs that are out there running ads, ron paul's, mine, yours, as you know, that is not my ad. i don't write that ad, i can't tell them not to. >> no doubt, mitt romney has a double standard about campaign ads, but what really bothers me and i think a lot of other americans is romney calling joe soptic's ad inaccurate. here are the only things joe soptic says about mitt romney in the super pac ad. >> i don't think mitt romney understands what he's done to people's lives by closing the plant. i don't think he realizes that people's lives completely changed. i do not think mitt romney realizes what he's done to anyone. and furthermore, i do not think mitt romney is concerned. >> what was that? those sentences are joe soptic's opinions. this ad is a testimonial from one worker. joe soptic formed opinions about mitt romney based on his treatment as a worker under romney's firm. now mitt romney wants the obama

campaign to denounce the ad because romney doesn't like joe soptic's opinions? romney is stuck on defense while the obama supporters are on offense. the right wing, really, well, they are not happy about it. here's what ann coulter said about romney's spokeswoman andrea saul. >> anyone who donates to mitt romney ought to call mitt romney and say if andrea saul isn't fired and off the campaign tomorrow, they are not giving another dime, it is not worth fighting for this man if this is the kind of spokesman he has. >> what did andrea saul to do to provoke the wrath of ann coulter? well, she told the truth. >> if people had been in massachusetts, they would have had health care. >> yes, coverage like the kind in massachusetts and the kind passed and signed by president obama will help people in the soptic's situation, but conservatives, you see, they can't handle the truth. they are working too hard telling lies. >> we're watching and witnessing

here -- >> no, i'm serious about this. >> i know you're serious. >> you're doing your show. no point in us going to a convention and pushing for this man if he's employing morons like this. >> i want everybody watching this broadcast to see her words in writing to make sure it sinks in. ann coulter said, there's no point in you, sean hannity, doing your show. there's no point in going for the convention and pushing for this man, meaning mitt romney, if he's employing morons like this. i guess morons tell the truth, right? but even mitt romney is starting to talk up his health care record on the stump. >> we've got to do some reforms in health care and i have some experience doing that, as you know. >> this is why the joe soptic ad has republicans absolutely scrambling. it puts the gop in unfamiliar territory and drives home a very vital point about the middle class in this country. put yourself for a moment in joe

soptic's shoes, the soptic family. with affordable health care coverage, his wife would have had a fighting chance. this is a kitchen table issue that hits every american family, health care. how much it costs, and just how good is it? and guess who doesn't have to deal with this, with that kind of a worry, the very people who are in washington who vote on health care legislation. health care is dictated by the most secure members of society. that's right, three-term senators have it pretty damn good. the politicians and beltway types don't experience the problems of people like joe soptic and his family. middle class workers get it. i hear eve day about how joe soptic's situation is very relatable to them. here's another thing the middle class workers, i believe, understand in this country, the idea of workers not being recycled back into the economy, you know, when joe soptic lost his job, well, he was making $46,000 a year plus benefit at the mill.

six months later, he finally found another job. it paid him around $15,000 a year as a janitor, no benefits. republicans can whine and complain all they want about this commercial, but you see, it does not hit below the belt. i think it hits right in the heart of the problems facing the middle class in this country, and just a reminder to democrats out on the stump trying to get elected, remember to show your constituents or people you want to have vote for you, show them the vulture chart. this plays right to the income gap in this country. the people down on the blue line where their wages have been for the last 30 years, when they lose their job, they can't afford health care. the red liners may get recycled back into the economy, but they get a cushion, they can afford that health care insurance. i am so glad that this super pac has done a favor to the american

people in the election cycle here in 2012. it's about health care. it's about a priority. what do we want to do in this country when people get sick and they can't have insurance? because they can't afford it. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question, will republicans keep lying to get mitt romney elected? a for yes, b to know for 26639. go to our blog and leave a comment. we'll bring the results later on in the show. i am joined tonight by bloomberg view columnist jonathan alter. also with us, michael kinsley, who is also a columnist for bloomberg view. gentlemen, great to have you with us tonight. michael, we'll start with you. michael, you wrote today that the ad, it may be tough, but it's not dishonest. do you agree it really puts the focus on the serious issues, genrically speaking, overlooking this whole campaign? >> sure, but i think, ed, we have to concede that this ad did

imply that romney was in some way responsible for this woman dying of cancer, but i think you have to say that's fair when you lay off hundreds of people and they are not going to have health insurance, statistically certain people with health insurance live longer because they go to the doctor when they get sick. and people without health insurance don't, so i think that conclusion is perfectly fair, and let me go a little further. i don't -- i mean, i believe in capitalism. i believe in free markets. i would not even say for sure that perhaps -- perhaps this guy laying off people in this factory was the right thing to do, but romney won't defend it, like he never defends anything he's done that comes under criticism. instead, he says the buck doesn't stop here. >> jonathan -- jonathan alter, i want to ask you, did the

situation damage the romney camp with conservatives? >> you know, i think it did, because the conservatives want romney to retreat all the way from what he did in massachusetts, which was the model for obama care. remember, the house of representatives has repealed obama care 31 times. if mitt romney is elected president, they will repeal it and he will sign that repeal on the first day of his presidency, the first week of his presidency, as he has pledged. and i wish the debate would move from this ad and that ad and, you know, what did stephanie cutter know and when did she know it about joe soptic and what was the timeline of when bain -- romney left bain and all the idiotic questions that the press is obsessing on, and instead what the press should be focussed on is what are the consequences of repeal of obama care. and the consequences, as mike just indicated, are death.

repeal equals death. people will die in the united states if obama care is repealed. that is not an exaggeration. that is not crying fire. it's a simple fact, if you have preexisting conditions and you are thrown off of health insurance or if you get sick after you or your husband, spouse, loses the job, you're not going to go to the doctor as soon, your cancer or disease is not going to be caught as quickly, and your odds of dying are much, much increased. so obama care will save, literally, thousands of lives. and this is what the debate should be about. do we, as a country, want to throw sick americans to the wolves? people with preexisting conditions. >> but we get taken into the arena of political mess when you have the people on the right saying, well, they are accusing president obama, you know, of murder or accusing romney of murder on this.

and throwing it back at the obama people. here's one conservative pundit saying the romney campaign needs to fight back harder. >> guess what, you know who the real murderers are in the white house if you want to talk about figurative murder? how about the obama jobs death toll. >> michael, who benefits from a debate over who the real killers are? >> i don't know who benefits, but the reference to the death panels is pretty funny. i mean, if anything can be funny on this subject, you know, the opponents of obama care, during the obama care debate, went on and on about how if this happens and that happens, you're going to have the equivalent of death panels. well, if we don't go through with obama care, there will be death without panels. >> well, jonathan, this has got to renew the discussion about repealing obama care, and you made a very direct point on all of this, but where does this go from here in the campaign? what do you think, i mean, why

aren't the obama people just embracing this super pac, because it tells the very truth about what happens to people when they lose their jobs in this country. >> they don't need to embrace this ad and get into a big fight about whether they were calling mitt romney a murderer or whatever. they need to move on to a debate about the main issue, which is obama care. and they can bring death into the conversation and say, no, we're not calling mitt romney a murderer, what we are saying is that if he's elected president, a lot of people will die. those are two slightly different, but related issues. and to get off of bain, get off of the bain timeline and all the questions surrounding that, and get on to the main question. romney knows that ending discrimination against people with preexisting conditions is very popular in this country. he's already backing away from his support for total repeal, even though he said 100 times during the primaries that he

would repeal on day one. so now as romney backs away, it's up to the obama campaign to say, hey, wait a second. i'm sure the president will do this in the debates. wait a second, you have said all along you want to repeal this thing, now don't start talking about how it's okay if you get cancer in massachusetts but you're on your own if you get cancer somewhere else. >> if health care becomes a main issue down the stretch of the campaign, will romney have to defend his record in massachusetts? according to his spokesperson, he probably would have to, but what do you think? >> he seems to be able to getting away with not defending his record on all sorts of things. as i was saying, the buck doesn't stop here. he had nothing to do with any decision at bain to close a factory. he has nothing to do with his wife's horse hobby, he doesn't even know when her horse is performing in the olympics. >> yeah. >> and so on. i think that's a tick of his. >> michael kinsley, jonathan alt alter, great to have you with us, thanks so much.

share your thoughts on twitter at ed show and on facebook. we always want to know what you think. coming up next, another low level, a new low for newt gingrich, the former speaker is trying to defend mitt romney's latest lie. see him finally admit the truth when we come back. st railway, the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com. ari'm fine.y, babe? ♪ ♪

♪ with a subaru you can always find a way. announcer: love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

coming up, newt gingrich admits the romney camp has no proof to back up their claim about president obama's new welfare policy, but it isn't stopping them from pushing their favorite lie. republicans aren't even trying to hide their voter sup registration efforts in the state of ohio. how they are rigging the vote ahead of the november election. and a group of catholic nuns are questioning mitt romney's morals when it comes to policies for the poor. the leader of the nuns on the bus tour will join me later. share your thoughts with us on facebook and on twitter using the hash tag ed show. we'll be right back. all multivitamins give me the basics.

they claim to be complete. only centrum goes beyond. providing more than just the essential nutrients, so i'm at my best. centrum. always your most complete. for a golf getaway. double miles you can actually use... but mr. single miles can't join his friends because he's getting hit with blackouts. shame on you. now he's stuck in a miniature nightmare. oh, thank you. but, with the capital one venture card... you can fly any airline, any flight, any time. double miles you can actually use. what's in your wallet? alec jr? it was a gift.

welcome back to "the ed show." the republicans favorite attack dog is having a tough time defending mitt romney's latest lie. it took less than nine hours, pretty comical here, less than nine hours and two interviews for newt gingrich to break down and admit that romney's new welfare ad is simply not true. the romney camp started running this ad on monday, almost every major news outlet debunked it. here's why. >> president obama quietly announced a plan to gut welfare reform by dropping work requirements. >> totally untrue. in fact, we won't even show the rest of the ad, because it's so packed with lies. but here's the truth.

states now do have the power to award temporary assistance. republican governors, they asked for this policy change. romney himself when he was governor asked for this change. states still have to fulfill welfare for work requirements. there is no welfare handout. newt gingrich admits he's just speculating on what the obama administration might do some day. >> we have no proof today, but i would say to you under obama's ideology, it is absolutely true that he would be comfortable sending a lot of people checks for nothing. >> gingrich is stuck defending romney's lie, so instead of talking about the romney welfare ad, gingrich is going on the offensive. today, he called on president obama to disavalue the priorities usa ad we told you about at the top of the show. gingrich actually said the candidate should be held accountable. here's the problem, it's not the

president of the united states' ad. >> priorities usa action is responsible for the contents of this advertising. >> but mitt romney is personally responsible for the welfare ad. romney says so himself. >> i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. >> newt gingrich is right about one thing, the candidate should be held accountable. let's bring in democratic strategist chris kofinis tonight. good to have you with us, you've been down this road before, the mud slinging back and forth about what's true and what isn't. is there a difference between these two political ads? >> there's a huge difference, legally if nothing else. legally, you cannot coordinate between an independent group and a campaign, you'd be breaking the law if you did, so right there there's a difference. just in terms of the message, you know, the romney ad, that is their message. that is something that the romney campaign approved, that governor romney now owns. the ad that was put out by

priorities usa is not an ad on behalf of the obama campaign. it wasn't put out by the obama campaign. it was not funded by the obama campaign, so there's a fundamental difference. i find it somewhat ironic, to say the least, when you think about the fact that -- you think about the fact that newt gingrich is out there defending governor romney. what level of dante's political hell has newt gingrich and mitt romney entered? >> this is what i find so confusing, why would newt gingrich go out there and talk about welfare when he knows he has to talk about an ad that admittedly isn't true, i mean how stupid is that? why would he do that, what's the upside of doing that? >> you know, this campaign, it is the most puzzling campaign, to me, the romney campaign. there's no message. we're now about what 90 days out, there's still no focus. you could literally walk down the street of any major city or small town and no one can tell you what governor romney is

running for or about. what has happened is they have to distract. they have to attack, and it is a puzzling strategy. it's political malpractice, if nothing else, but you see their surrogates are left in this box, what do they tout romney's vision is going to be for the country? they can't say what it is, so they have to attack president obama and something that is not even true. >> but it needs to be pointed out, i believe, over and over again, that romney endorsed an ad that was totally false about welfare. he attacked the president. the ad attacked the president, made claims that simply weren't true, and then when his lead surrogate, one of his lead surrogates, newt gingrich, goes out on the stump and has to defend it, he finally breaks down and admits it's really not true. is romney's welfare ad trying to play into old racial stereo politics about poverty? >> i mean, i think there's definitely an element to that. i think there's an element to -- it's playing into the anxiety people have about the economy

and where the country is going, and it's just kind of the lowest base politics. i mean, politics is a tough business. i've engaged in it, you hit back and you hit back hard. you get hit, and that's part of the business, but there's also, i think, a positive part to it. you have to have a vision in terms of where you want to take the country. i think the best ad of this cycle has been president obama's ad where he laid out the choices, the different visions the country has in terms of where you want to go. one stands with the middle class and one does not. i cannot tell you, nor can anyone else, what governor romney stands for. >> wouldn't it help the romney camp if they actually came out with an ad that's factually correct? could they not get back and try to be brilliant on the basics to define who their candidate is? chris kofinis, always a pleasure, good to have you with us tonight. thanks so much. next, the latest on the effort to block the vote in ohio, republicans slash early voting time for

democratic-leaning areas, yet expand the time for republican areas. ari burrman of the nation, and nina turner will join me next. and mitt romney has said corporations are people, but now mitt says, well, he's not a business. the panel will try to make sense of romney's latest flip-flop. stay tuned. ♪ ♪ i want to go ♪ i want to win [ breathes deeply ] ♪ this is where the dream begins ♪

♪ i want to grow ♪ i want to try ♪ i can almost touch the sky [ male announcer ] even the planet has an olympic dream. dow is proud to support that dream by helping provide greener, more sustainable solutions from the olympic village to the stadium. solutionism. the new optimism.™ ♪ this dream metamucil uses super hardworking psyllium fiber, which gels to remove unsexy waste and reduce cholesterol. taking psyllium fiber won't make you a model, but you should feel a little more super. metamucil. down with cholesterol. and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning you can feel. introducing the all-new cadillac xts.

available with a patented safety alert seat. when there's danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, and it's bringing the future forward. why? i thought jill was your soul mate. no, no it's her dad. the general's your soul mate? dude what? no, no, no. he's, he's on my back about providing for his little girl. hey don't worry. e-trade's got a killer investing dashboard. everything is on one page, your investments, quotes, research... it's like the buffet last night. whatever helps you understand man. i'm watching you. oh yeah? well i'm watching you, watching him. [ male announcer ] try the e-trade 360 investing dashboard.

welcome back to "the ed

show." i don't think we can talk about this story enough. the republican effort to suppress the vote in this country. the disenfranchised democratic voting blocks and stack the deck against the poor in this country, against minorities, i mean, this has been going on for years, but now they are not even trying to hide it anymore, and it couldn't be any more obvious than the state of ohio. this was the scene, i want you to remember, this was the scene on election day 2004, you know, when bush won reelection. i mean, folks were waiting in line to vote for hours. a lot of folks got frustrated, they just walked away. well, according to one tally, 174,000 people in the state of ohio walked away from the polls that day. george w. bush won reelection, won the state by just 118 votes. now, the 2004 disaster prompted the state to make some changes and add early voting time to improve and to enhance the

process. president obama won the state in 2008. well, republicans, they can't let an obama victory happen again, so now, in heavily democratic areas, you won't believe this, early voting hours, they have been slashed. 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on week days. now, if you're a working person, do these hours seem very convenient to you if you're holding, maybe, one or two jobs? democrats have tried to fight this, but the republican election commissioners in the state are blocking it. the republican secretary of state, john hew stead, is siding with them, but only when it comes to the democratic-leaning areas, as ari berman of "the nation" reports, in solidly republican counties, gop election commissioners have approved expanded early voting hours on night and weekends. now, just so we're all on the same page here, in republican areas, early voting is convenient for working folks. in democratic areas, well, not

so much. you got to do the 8:00 to 5:00 thing. here's how one democratic party chair put it. the republicans remember those long lines outside board of elections last time in evenings and on weekends. the lines were overwhelmingly african-american, and it's pretty obvious that the people were predominantly obama voters. the republicans don't want that to happen again. it's that simple. let's turn to ohio state senator nina turner and also ari berman, contributor for "the nation" magazine and "rolling stone" magazine and author of hurting donkeys. great to have both of you with us. senator, i want to ask you, are people in ohio, are they on this, and what's their reaction? >> people are outraged, ed. i mean, no one should have to beg to vote, and that is exactly what is happening in ohio in the predominantly urban areas, as you have laid out, ed. and it is absolutely shameful that jim crow has been

resurrected in this country and particularly the state of ohio, he's packed his bags and he's moved north. he's in ohio, he's in pennsylvania, he's making repeat performances in florida. we have to stand up and speak out against this, but it is absolutely shameful, and as you pointed out, that working folks, some people were piecing together two and three jobs. early voting from 8:00 to 5:00 does not make sense for them. we should be expanding the franchise and not trying to take the right to vote away from poor and working class people and urban people, ed, and that is exactly what is happening in ohio. >> ari, you dug into this quite a bit in "the nation" magazine, how are republicans getting away with this? >> well, they are getting away with it, ed, in the same way they are getting away with it all across the country. they got power in 2010, first thing they did was try to restrict the right to vote for obama voters to make sure they didn't turn out again in the same numbers in 2012, and it's interesting. in ohio, there's been a lot of pushback to voter suppression

efforts in the state by republicans. actually, republicans had to repeal their own legislation, but they've short circuited that now by limiting these early voting hours by going to the ultra-local level and using their power on the county board of elections, which in many democrat cities are split between democrats and republicans 3-3. what happens when there's a split, the secretary of state, who's a republican, has intervened to limit early voting hours in places like cleveland, columbus, akron, and toledo. that's how they are getting away with this. >> republicans in the state say slashing the early voting is all about cost. why is that a lie? >> never let the truth get in the way of a good story, ed. the republicans have a lot of good stories but not a lot of truth. what is the cost of the state of ohio returning to the debacle of 2004? yes, there will be a cost to holding clean and fair elections, but that is a cost worth paying. it is absolutely outrageous that

in the 21st century, 2008, that we would have elected officials trying to suppress the vote in this state, particularly of working class people. and ed, i will tell you in cayahunga county in 2008, 60% of the early voting were african-americans. call it what it is. >> well, you are doing just that, and it's very interesting statistic you point out there, but if it's that intense and severe, could this not throw the state for mitt romney, could this have that big of an impact, senator? >> it could have that kind of impact, ed, but i want to encourage folks in ohio and other viewers across the country not to be sidelined and sidetracked by the foolishness. my republican colleagues are stuck on stupid and dazzled by dumb, but the people in the state and country make sure to know the rules when it comes to voting and get out and vote. >> i got to mention, it's funny that republicans are saying they

don't have the money to expand early voting when they spent millions and millions and millions of dollars on necessary and costly voter i.d. laws, so it's okay to pass a voter i.d. law to make it harder for democrats to vote but not okay to spend money on early voting. the democrats were willing to pick up the tab in these counties to pay for early voting and republicans didn't even give them the option to have early voting, so it's an incredible double standard and example of hypocrisy and saying it's because of financial reasons. >> cayahuga county was one of the counties willing to pick up the tab. ari hit it on the head. >> ari berman and nina turner, thanks for joining us, appreciate it. a lot more coming up on the next half hour of "the ed show," stay with us. >> president obama used his health care plan to declare war on religion. >> a fantasy commercial from romney is putting the campaign in a tough spot. plus, sister simone campbell

wants romney to join her bus tour. she thinks mitt needs a lesson on america's poor. mitt romney thinks corporations are people, but not when it could hurt mitt romney. the big panel weighs in on more hypocrisy from the middle class millionaire. you do what you do... because it matters. at hp we don't just believe in the power of technology. we believe in the power of people when technology works for you. to dream. to create. to work. if you're going to do something. make it matter. [ male announcer ] you work hard. stretch every penny. but chances are you pay a higher tax rate than him... mitt romney made twenty million dollars in two thousand ten but paid only fourteen percent in taxes... probably less than you

now he has a plan that would give millionaires another tax break... and raises taxes on middle class families by up to two thousand dollars a year. mitt romney's middle class tax increase. he pays less. you pay more. mitt romney's middle class tax increase. those little things for you, life's about her. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision,

or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. you have a plan? first we're gonna check our bags for free, thanks to our explorer card. then, the united club. my mother was so wrong about you. next, we get priority boarding on our flight i booked with miles. all because of the card. and me. okay, what's the plan? plan? mm-hmm. we're on vacation. this is no plan. really? [ male announcer ] the united mileageplus explorer card. the mileage card with special perks on united. get it and you're in. [ "human" by the human league playing ] humans. we mean well, but we're imperfect creatures living in a beautifully imperfect world. it's amazing we've made it this far. maybe it's because when one of us messes up,

someone else comes along to help out. that's the thing about humans. when things are at their worst, we're at our best. see how at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? corporations are people, my friend. we can raise taxes -- of course, they are. everything corporations earn ultimately goes to people. where do you think it goes? whose pockets? whose pockets? people's pockets. >> welcome back to "the ed show." almost one year ago today, mitt romney stung the crowd at the iowa state fair when he said corporations are people. well, a year's a long time and mitt's changing his tune to avoid answering hard questions. in a recent interview, romney was pressed on releasing only two years of tax returns. bloomberg asked romney if he was

investing in a company, wouldn't he want to see more than just two years of financial reports. romney stood by his decision saying, i'm not a business. we have a process in this country which was established by law which provides for the transparency which candidates are required to meet. i have met that requirement. it's another shocking double standard from mitt romney. he wants to give benefits and tax breaks to corporations, claiming they are people, however, he says he's not a business. when it keeps his tax returns hidden. go figure. let's turn to new jersey republican assembly leader jon bramnick, also with us tonight, michelle goldberg of "news week" and the daily beast and john hlinko. great to have you with us tonight. leader bramnick, is there a double standard here? on the stump he says people are corporations, but then when he is asked to release his tax returns, he can't go down that road. >> first, he's released 2010,

he's released an estimate for 2011. he's filled out every financial form when he ran for governor, when he's run for president in the primary campaigns, so he's met every requirement under the law. this is a distraction, because what we should be talking about is how to lower taxes, not how to look at taxes, and that's what the people in america are really aching for. >> well, you know, i actually think that, in a way, you have a point. because they are talking about how to lower taxes, that's the center of his campaign, we should know how much taxes people like him pay. he's running on the idea people like him need a big tax break, and so if he's paying, well, we already know he paid 13.9%, which is a lot less than i pay and a lot less than most viewers pay and the other years are almost certainly less than that, and so how is that not germane to the kind of central issue in this campaign? >> well, congress passed the law that created these incentives,

so if it's 13% or 20%, like president obama paid during one year, that's what congress and the prior president sign ed so e would stimulate certain areas of the economy or certain investments. that's what makes america grow. >> the thing is, people are talking about this and will keep on talking about this, it's like a horror movie where a person goes into a hotel, hey, welcome, welcome, don't go in room 23. you're wondering, what the heck's in room 23, now everybody's wondering what's in it. we already know he had a $77,000 deduction for a dancing horse. what can be more embarrassing? >> the horror movie is when you don't have a good job and you want this economy to start to be stimulated. that's the real horror. >> but the focus -- >> stimulate the economy to give people like mitt romney more tax breaks? >> more dancing horse credits. >> everybody needs to be -- >> can we be clear, romney's tax plan, while giving massive tax breaks to people like mitt

romney, involves by closing various loopholes, involves tax increases on the middle class, so we need to be clear about the implications of the policies he, himself, is promoting. >> i don't think there's any doubt that mitt romney doesn't want to raise taxes on anyone, including middle income earners. >> the policy he's put forward will do. >> let's get back to the fundamental point here. mitt romney on the stump says corporations are people, but then when asked about his taxes, he says he's not a business. how can he have it both ways? >> he's flip-flopped on so many things, why not this? i'm waiting for him to come out against mitt romney and do the ultimate flip-flop. this is going to be a distraction, people are wondering did he honest to god pay zero in taxes for those years? if we did and gave him a tax cut, we'd have to pay him to earn money. >> to be fair, i bet mitt romney also supports greater secrecy for corporate earnings as well. >> nobody's asked him that.

leader, is he? >> in secrecy, no. what he really wants is to turn around america, and i think there's a real desire for that. they are not going to say did he release a return in 2006, that's not going -- >> a new cnn poll shows 67% of independent voters think romney should release more than two years of tax returns. i mean, he's swimming up against stream on this. >> most people want to see more tax returns? >> absolutely. independent voters want full disclosure. they want to know what happens when the market went south in '08 and '09, there's a chance maybe he didn't pay any tax. how would that fly with the american people? >> i don't think, though, the majority of people are going to vote based on how many years of tax returns he releases, and i think, in essence, when they go into that voting booth, they want to vote for the person who's going to be the real person of change. >> wait a minute. it would open up a whole pandora's box of tax fairness

discussion in this country, exactly what president obama's been talking about, about paying your fair share. if he paid zero tax and he's a multimillionaire and still made a ton of money, the fact is that would walk them right into the discussion of tax fairness, which would put him behind the eight ball, wouldn't it? >> that's one of the central issues in this campaign, you can't get around by saying this is a distraction or just personal. the central issue in the campaign is -- >> zero percent doesn't sound like fair share. >> he has a history of being aggressive within the law of seeking tax shelters and tax breaks thash available to corporations and corporation people like mitt romney but are not available to the vast majority of americans. >> do you think people really want to tax success? >> no, they just don't want millionaires getting away with not paying anything, and i think politically it's a tough place for mitt romney if he were to release tax returns that showed he paid no tax in any of the last ten years he's trying to

hide from, because that walks him right into a discussion he's going to have to defend it. he's going to have to defend it when we're showing this vulture chart of the last 30 years and where the middle class has gone. the fairness argument would work for the obama team. they would have more evidence. >> sure, think about mitt romney's dad and ran american motors and paid 33% tax, people understood what he did, he built a company and paid tax. mitt romney, on the other hand, is downsizing, outsourcing, doing all kinds of things that are not growing this economy, yet he's paying a lower tax rate, it just makes no sense. >> it does show, regardless of what these tax returns demonstrate, this is a very smart businessman, someone who you want at the helm of the economy. >> 67% of independent voters just want to know how smart he actually is. >> he probably did what was legal, which we all should do. >> how do you argue

simultaneously the fact he paid a low tax rate indicates he's smart enough to lead the country but we don't have the right to see the machinations that went into that? >> michelle goldberg, john hlinko. >> hlinko, close. >> first time on the show, i'll get it right. coming up, nuns on the bus are back and this time they are inviting mitt romney along for the ride. sister simone campbell joins us to explain. stay with us. ♪ ♪ ♪ every mom needs a little helper. that's why i got a subaru. announcer: love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. this is new york state. we built the first railway, the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires.

then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com. still to come on "the ed show," a group of catholic nuns is questioning mitt romney's morals when it comes to his policies for the poor. sister simone campbell, leader of the nuns on the bus has a challenge for the republican nominee. she joins us next. don't forget, you can listen to my radio show, channel 127 monday through friday noon to 3:00 p.m. eastern time. follow me on twitter at ed show and like me on facebook. we're coming right back. tdd# 1-0 let's talk about fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 there are atm fees.

tdd# 1-800-345-2550 account service fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and the most dreaded fees of all, hidden fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, you won't pay fees on top of fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no monthly account service fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no hidden fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and we rebate every atm fee. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck tdd# 1-800-345-2550 because when it comes to talking, there is no fee.

ed show survey tonight, will

republicans keep lying to get mitt romney elected? 99% of you said yes, 1% of you said no. coming up, a group of nuns who call the ryan budget immoral are calling out mitt romney for supporting it. sister simone campbell will join me next. stay tuned. [ donovan ] i hit a wall.

and i thought "i can't do this, it's just too hard." then there was a moment. when i decided to find a way to keep going. go for olympic gold and go to college too. [ male announcer ] every day we help students earn their bachelor's or master's degree for tomorrow's careers. this is your moment. let nothing stand in your way. devry university, proud to support the education of our u.s. olympic team. with the spark miles card from capital one,

thor's couture gets the most rewards of any small business credit card. your boa! [ garth ] thor's small business earns double miles on every purchase, every day! ahh, the new fabrics, put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? the spiked heels are working. wait! [ garth ] great businesses deserve the most rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? [ cheers and applause ]

and in the big finish tonight, mitt romney's embrace of paul ryan's budget has a group of catholic nuns calling him out.

the nuns on the bus tour has traveled across nine states protesting the ryan budget plan. the plan would slash programs that help low-income americans. the sisters have called the proposed budget cuts immoral and inconsistent with the catholic social teachings. the group has now invited mitt romney to join them for a day and give him the opportunity to meet some of the people who depend on the programs that he wants to cut. the romney camp has yet to respond to the invitation. joining me tonight is sister simone campbell, leader of nuns on the bus and executive leader of a catholic social lobby. nice to have you with us on the program tonight. >> great. >> you bet. what would you like from mitt romney, what does he have to know that he may not know? >> well, i think he doesn't know how those at the lowest 20% of income in our society live. he doesn't know how hard they

work, how they struggle every day, and he's making some gross generalizations about them being lazy or not working. and that's just plain wrong. we found on our bus trip over and over that people who are the working poor, working at low-wage jobs, are using our social safety net to keep their families alive, to keep a roof over their head or food on the table, and governor romney doesn't appear to know this at all. we would like to introduce him to the reality of our nation. >> you don't think he knows this, and you think it would be an educational experience for him if he did join you on the bus tour? >> that would be our goal, because he can't make the kinds of statements that he just made in this ad about -- that infers that people who are in poverty are lazy. he has no idea how hard it is to keep a family together when you have low income, how hard people work every day just to make the basic necessities for their family, and how little wages

employers actually pay. on the bus trip, we found that many of the people using the social safety net were working at low-wage jobs, and what we discovered was the employers were benefitting because their employs could eat with these programs, so it was an employer benefit as well as an employee benefit. we have to see we're all in this together, and i don't think governor romney knows that. >> you have called the cuts in ryan budget immoral and inconsistent with the catholic teachings. it's rumored paul ryan might be on the republican ticket. what kind of message do you think this would send to the poor in this country, if he is on the ticket with mitt romney? >> if he is on the ticket with governor romney, i think it would indicate a strong preference for those at the top, the fact that we are not going to be the nation that we have always been of we all the people as the constitution says, it's we the people together, and it

also says that this individualistic isolationist approach of congressman ryan is being endorsed by governor romney. that's a very scary thought for who we are as community in our nation. >> paul ryan cites his catholic faith, in your inion, why is he going wrong? >> well, what he totally misses, he speaks about the individual responsibility where he's correct. where he's wrong, he misses solidarity, the fact we're in this together. part of our responsibility individually is to be responsible for community together. he misses that part entirely, and our bishops, the catholic bishops in the united states first said it was an immoral budget. we're standing with our bishops echoing that reality. >> are you expecting mitt romney to take you up on your invitation? >> i sincerely hope that he will. we delivered the invitation to his campaign folks, and we're trying to encourage them to come

along. i would love to show him what we saw, because when you meet people like billy and margaret's family and shiesha and all these people we met along the road, he couldn't continue to say they are lazy or not working. it's wrong. >> i want to drive that point home quickly, if i may. sister simone campbell, the people that you run into, are they looking for a handout, or do they want to work? >> they are working, and they want to work. they are working very hard to care for their families, and that's what he needs to know. >> all right, sister simone campbell, thank you for your time tonight on "the ed show." that is "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. "the rachel maddow show" starts right now. good evening, rachel. >> thank you, my frind for staying home with us this hour. part of the problem for waiting for a big announcement in news about politics this year, in this case, the mitt romney vice presidential announcement, but part of the problem of anticipating a big announcement is that practically every time somebody in

republican presidential politics has said this year they are going to make a big announcement, it has been a big letdown. i don't know if this happens every year, but this past year it is starting to approach satire. take, as an example, a year ago tonight, political watchers on the edge of our seats after republican presidential candidate jon huntsman says he's going to make a major announcement the following day. everybody starts trying to read the tea leaves trying to figure out what this announcement could possibly be. at that point, jon huntsman campaign was not a joke, he was seen as a contender in the race, so political reporrs flocked to florida where this major announcement was set to take place, and then this was it. >> people like jon huntsman, i believe, are the best person for the job. to begin with, i would just say his resume, his experience, my opinion, is just far better than any other candidates in the race. >> who's that guy? that guy, it turns out, was the

jon huntsman major announcement. the big deal in florida a year ago today was that jon huntsman locked up the endorsement of bush. not that one -- actually, not that one either. nope. nope. try again. one more. yes, that one. jeb bush jr. the promised major announcement from the jon huntsman for president campaign was an endorsement by george w. bush's brother's son, who has never held public office, and that is called defining down the term "major announcement." then a short while later in the campaign, it happened again. rick santorum promises big announcement on friday. rick santorum's campaign released a statement promoting a major campaign announcement on friday at 6:00 p.m. okay, setting the tone for the weekend of coverage. here we go, friday at 6:00 p.m., be there or miss out on a big announcement in the republican presidential campaign.