we cannot do good if we refuse to do the other. human knowledge is a good thing. and perhaps both parties should put that simple declaration in their platforms this year. human knowledge is a good thing. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. good evening, americans, and welcome to "the ed show" live from minneapolis. 76 days until the election. paul ryan is trying to run from his past. tonight we'll expose brand-new details of his akin problem. this is "the ed show," let's get to work. >> you sponsored legislation that had the language "forcible rape." what is forcible rape? >> rape is rape. >> the party of no exceptions is scrambling over forcible rape. tonight, we'll show you why the presidential ticket can run, but they can't hide from their radical positions. todd akin says to mind your own business. michael steele and bob shrum on

the explosion of republican hypocrisy before the tampa convention. >> today's seniors, if you will, my plan presents no change. >> "the new york times" exposes another mitt romney lie on medicare. we will correct the whiteboard again tonight. and the president is sacking mitt romney on his education plan. >> governor romney says we've got enough teachers. we don't need anymore. >> tonight, super bowl champion warren sap on the president, republicans, and how public education helped make him an nfl legend. good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. congressman paul ryan was supposed to bolster the romney campaign's standing with social conservatives, but with congressman todd akin, todd akin in the news, suddenly paul ryan is running away from his core beliefs.

here's the vice presidential candidate being interviewed in pittsburgh. >> his statements were outrageous, over the pail. i don't know anybody who wouldn't agree with that. rape is rape, period, end of story. >> really?! the interviewer was quick to spot paul ryan's inconsistent definition of rape. >> you sponsored legislation that has the language "forcible rape." what is forcible rape as opposed to -- >> rape is rape, period. end of story. >> so that "forcible rape" language meant nothing to you at the time? >> rape is rape. and there's no splitting hairs over rape. >> the paul ryan of today sounds no different than president obama did on monday. >> rape is rape. and the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we're talking about doesn't make sense to the american people. >> but paul ryan, of the past 13 years in congress, sounds a heck of a lot different.

ryan says rape is rape. he says that today. but just three years ago, he introduced the term "forcible rape" in congressional legislation for the first time. now, the amendment redefined rape to make it harder for women to have an abortion. as nbc's kelly o'donnell reported today, ryan and only one co-sponsor, congressman sam johnson of texas, proposed a change to health care legislation. the language of the amendment limited abortion exceptions, unless the pregnancy is the result of an act of forcible rape or incest. now a year later, the forcible rape language found itself into a house bill, which also narrowed the definition of rape to make abortions illegal in nearly all cases. ryan and todd akin were one of 186 co-sponsors of that bill. today, ryan is claiming that he was just following the crowd when it came to this legislation.

>> you co-sponsored abortion-related legislation with congressman akin. do you regret that now? >> that bill passed, i think, by 251 votes. it was bipartisan. >> keep in mind, only three years ago, ryan was one of two republicans to introduce the term "forcible rape" into abortion legislation. this was not a sweeping bipartisan initiative by any stretch of the imagination. but paul ryan has a history of hiding who he really is when it comes to his anti-choice agenda. when ryan was running for congress, the "milwaukee journal sentinel" reported this. "ryan has consistently opposed legal abortion and makes only one exception -- cases in which a doctor deems an abortion necessary to save the mother's life. he favors overturning the supreme court's landmark roe v. wade decision that made most abortions legal." now, but a year later, ryan was on the house floor, railing against the exception for the health of the mother.

>> the health exception is a loophole wide enough to drive a mac truck through it. the health exception would render this ban virtually meaningless. >> republicans are holding paul ryan up as a man of very strong convictions, but he refuses to give direct and consistent answers about his anti-choice record. >> should abortions be available to women who are raped? >> well, look, i've -- i'm proud of my pro-life record. and i stand by my pro-life record in congress. it's something i'm proud of. but mitt romney is the top of the ticket, and mitt romney will be president, and he will set the policy of the romney administration. >> what's happening here? ryan has taken cover behind mitt romney. but, wait a minute, mitt romney's record on abortion, that's got a few holes in it too. ryan might as well take cover behind a chain-link fence if he's going to be hanging around romney. ryan told reporters that mitt romney's position on abortion will win out in the end. >> mitt romney's going to be the president and the president sets

policy. his policies exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother. i'm comfortable with it, because it's a good step in the right direction. >> now, if you're paul ryan, it's easy to say that mitt romney has taken steps in the right direction. just last year, romney showed the world how quickly he's prepared to drop his support for any exceptions in abortion cases. >> would you have support of the constitutional amendment that would have established the definition of life at conception? >> absolutely. >> the amendment romney will absolutely sign would basically outlaw all abortions if roe versus wade is overturned. that's really the end game for the conservatives, my friends, overturn roe v. wade. that's what they want. pass a human life amendment. have a president sign it. until todd akin opened his big, fat, mouth, conservatives, well, they didn't talk really in the wide open about this, did they? they kind of tiptoed around it like -- like romney did with mike huckabee. >> my view is that the supreme

court should reverse roe v. wade and send back to the states the responsibility for deciding whether they're going to have abortion legal in their state or not. >> that, to me, would be a real challenge, to just say, we're reversing roe v. wade making us pro-life, when, in fact, it gives all the states a chance to decide geographically what's moral and what's immoral. >> well, i think we have to decide what politically has the greatest potential of being successful. >> oh! romney's last quote should be really his campaign slogan, don't you think? "we have to decide what politically has the greatest potential of being successful." for mitt romney and paul ryan, keeping quiet on their abortion position has the greatest potential of being successful, in order to get what they want, they will hide their true beliefs from the american people. here is the bottom line. as far as the vice presidential candidate is concerned, paul ryan, he's as radical as you want him to be.

if he can get away with it. and he'll bring mitt romney along too, because of the conservative pressure that's out there. romney wants to be president really bad. he'll say whatever he has to say. and he has to satisfy the right wing by going along with a zealot view on abortion, he'll do it. but because of the akin situation down in missouri, this just makes it really tough to get away with right now. what a big bump in the road on the war on women for the republicans. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think tonight. tonight's question, should voters trust the romney ticket when it comes to their social agenda? text "a" for yes, text "b" for no to 622639. you can always go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com and we'll bring you the results later on in the show. joining me tonight is terry o'neill, president for the national organization for women. teri, great to have you with us again. i think that paul ryan is probably as radical as the conservatives want him to be, as long as he can get away it.

what does that tell you? i mean, do you believe what paul ryan says today or do you hold him to what he said as recently as two years ago? >> you know, honestly, ed, i think it's really hard to know where paul ryan stands, given what he's been saying lately. now, we know that his history is that he opposes women's access to abortion virtually without any exceptions. and, you know, you played that -- the tape of him complaining about a health exception to restrictions on abortion. what that means is that a woman with breast cancer, whose birth control fails, a woman with heart disease or a woman with diabetes, whose doctor says this pregnancy is making you really sick, and you need to terminate the pregnancy, paul ryan wants to force that woman to continue that pregnancy. that is way out of step with the vast majority of what voters want. in fact, 75% of voters, of some recent poll they heard about, over 75% of voters believe that

women should at least be able to access abortion in cases of rape, not parsed out, just rape, or incest, or for a woman's life. and the vast majority of voters want women to be able to protect their health as well. so he's way out of step, and i think he's sort of scrambling to try to claim that somehow he's not out of step. but he is. >> i mean, it's very clear to me that paul ryan, the vice presidential candidate for the republicans, is the most radical person that's been on the ticket since barry goldwater, and that was before roe v. wade. i think if you give him a chance to be biggest zealot in the room, he'll take that opportunity. which brings us to the very basic question, what could a conservative congress, a conservative supreme court, and a president that can be polled by conservatives mean for women? what would it mean? >> well, first of all, hr-3 would be passed into law and signed. and that is a permanent restrictions on women being able

to get insurance coverage for abortion care. and mind you, one out of three women will have an abortion by the age of 45. it is a common and necessary aspect of women's reproductive health care. but under the legislation that paul ryan is very eager to pass, and would pass if romney and ryan were elected, that access to insurance coverage will not be available. and again, women who are ill and need to terminate a pregnancy because of illness, those abortions cost upwards of $5,000 and more. so their families would have to dig into their pockets. in addition, the human life amendment, which is now in the republican platform once again, which basically criminalizes almost all abortion, and does not provide exceptions for rape or incest, or even to protect a woman's life, let alone her health. those things would be passed into law. >> it's the ryan/akin platform, is what it is. that's what the gop has got in front of the american people

right now. it's what it's got in front of women, and it is really dangerous. it's a throwback to the '50s, no doubt. terry o'neill, great to have you with us tonight. appreciate your time. remember to answer tonight's question at the bottom of the screen. share your thoughts on twitter @edshow and on facebook. we always want to know what you think. coming up, if republicans are looking for a republican who won't back down, a guy who just will not back down, hey, your boy todd out of missouri, he's your guy, isn't he? but republicans don't want voters to know it. at least, not until after the election. michael steele, bob shrum with the commentary with me next. stay with us. we're coming right back. mann thr'tf d ra nsco♪

coming up, the republican party supports todd akin's stance on abortion. so why are they running from it? why don't they support the guy? bob shrum and michael steele weigh in on that next. and president obama stressed the importance of education in las vegas. he did that today with another excellent speech. former nfl star warren sap discusses the impact of public

education in his new book, and he will join me later in the show. what did it mean to him? share your thoughts on facebook and on twitter using #edshow. we're coming right back.

- one serving of cheese is the size of four dice. one serving of cereal, a baseball. and one serving of fruit, a tennis ball. - you know, both parties agree. our kids can be healthier... the more you know. welcome back to "the ed show." congressman todd akin should be the hero of the republican party. but they're pretending that he isn't. at least until the election is over in november. look, there is no doubt his fellow republicans will warmly embrace this guy if he wins. and he may be taking friendly fire right now, but he's just the kind of staunch conservative right-wing zealots are looking

for. they want to guy who is not going to back down. he's willing to stand up to sean hannity two days in a row, stand up to karl rove, stand up to the republicans in his own party who are calling him, saying hey, buddy, drop out of the race, including mitt romney and paul ryan. today, akin was asked if he would reconsider dropping out, if it looked like he might lose to senator claire mccaskill in missouri. >> i'm never going to say everything that can happen. i don't know the future, but i do know this. i knew that the party voters took a look at our hearts, understood who we were, had a chance to meet us in many, many ways, and made a decision. it makes me uncomfortable to think that the party bosses are going to dictate who runs as opposed to the election process. >> well, the so-called party bosses may be looking the other way right now. but there really is no daylight whatsoever between the real party bosses and akin. it's just what he said was a problem. the republican national

convention has approved the human life amendment as part of its platform which would ban abortion without exception for rape or incest. 40 house and senate republicans have long embraced a ban on abortions without exceptions for rape and incest. let me tell you something, folks, they love this guy. this is their guy. this is who they want. here's akin on the "today" show this morning. >> let me say, this is not about me. this is not about my ego. but it is about the voters of the state of missouri. they have chosen me because of principles i stand on. >> no, no, no, no, no. of course, it is about you. it's about that guy that you just saw. and it's about a party that's trying to hide that they really do agree with him. let's bring in democratic strategist bob shrum and also with us tonight, michael steele, former chairman of the rnc and msnbc contributor. great to have you with us tonight. michael, let's start with you

first. isn't the republican platform planked on abortion the mainstream of the republican party? and isn't it really exactly in line with congressman todd akin? >> it may be in line with congressman todd akin, but i believe it's a break away from what the republican platform has traditionally said with respect to abortion, where a vast majority of republicans around the country, very strong pro life republicans as well as pro choice republicans have always accepted the idea of the exception with respect to life of the mother, rape, and incest. this is a break away from that. this is a step in a different direction. the timing in my estimation could not be worse for the romney campaign and for the rnc going into this convention at a time when the economy has been the center most focus or should be to have this kind of dialogue. we'll see what the delegates do on monday when this comes to the floor of the convention and that vast majority of republicans from around the country come to

convention and vote on this. but i think right now, to the point you have made so far tonight, ed, that it creates a noise level that is unprecedented going into a convention, that's i'm sure the romney campaign has no appreciation for. and would like to get back to the conversation about the economy and the obama administration record. >> and bob, as far as the democrats are concerned, aren't they ready to pound on the table saying that this is the real republican party? that todd akin may be a problem right now, but he's said something out loud what most republicans these days really believe and dog gone it, it's going to work its way right into the agenda of the republican platform? >> i think a lot of republican officials and operatives and members of congress believe this. i mean, that stupid bill, that outrageous bill that talks about forcible rape got 250 votes, as paul ryan pointed out or something like that. look, mitt romney signed off on this republican platform.

to me, it represents a repudiation and michael, i don't want to get you in trouble by saying something nice about you. it represents a repudiation of what michael steele and a number of other people were trying to do, which is create a bigger tent republican party. this is becoming the pup tent republican party. anti-women, anti-hispanic. anti-seniors with these ryan medicare proposals. michael's right. it's unbelievable as a political matter that they're not talking about the economy. but with the ryan choice, with the akin emergence, the whole conversation has changed. we're not having a referendum election on the economy. we're having a choice election. yes about how we deal with taxes and the economy but also do we want to outlaw common forms of birth control? do we want to tell hispanic immigrants that they're not welcome in this country? do we want to tell seniors we're going to voucherize medical care? i have never seen a party going into a convention in this position. >> michael, here is rnc chairman

reince priebus, what he is saying about mitt romney calling the shots. here it is. >> i think it was pretty clear that mitt romney believes that everything that todd akin had said was unbelievably at odds with rational thinking. he led the charge. everyone followed suit. we all followed mitt romney's lead yesterday. >> michael, doesn't this make mitt romney look weak? he's calling for a guy to step out of a senate race, and then todd akin says, you know what, buddy, you run your race, i'll run mine. >> yeah, what the chairman said really doesn't make sense in light of the reality and the facts. you cannot say that mitt romney is opposed to the language, the wording, the phraseology of mr. aiken and then take that very language and phraseology and put it into the platform of the national party. and so particularly when your

nominee has made it clear that i make exceptions on the pro life question with respect to rape, incest, and life of the mother. so to then follow that up, and i understand the chairman was quoted a little bit earlier today saying something to the effect of, well, you know, that plank doesn't apply to mitt romney. wait a minute. he's the head of the party. the nominee of our party. you're telling me that he's going to walk into that convention and snub his nose at the planks, this doesn't mean anything? the platform doesn't mean anything? while you're not held by chains and irons on it, it's a working document, a living document for a lot of activists around the country. they expect their nominee to adhere to as much of it as possible. and i think you put mitt romney is a difficult position. it's just the truth of it. >> but it's a document that the vice presidential candidate, he would travel that road if he were given the chance. bob shrum, how do the republicans mop it up? where is the opening for the democrats here? i keep looking at suburban women

across the country. it's like the republican party is just pushing them aside. >> look, if you look at pennsylvania, for example, in 2008, president obama underperformed what a democrat would normally do in the western part of that state. but he comfortably carried the state because he outperformed democrats in the suburbs of philadelphia. what you're seeing right now, what you're going to be hearing is the sound of women in those suburbs leaving the republican party, leaving mitt romney as quickly as possible. and by the way, mitt romney signed off on this platform plank. if he didn't want this platform plank, he could have stopped it. michael and i have both been involved in this for a long time. the nominee gets to decide. >> bob shrum, michael steele, great to have you with us tonight. thanks so much. next, it could be the republicans' teflon lie. could romney and ryan win by misleading seniors? we'll have the truth. and ryan's new twist on the debate over medicare.

welcome back to "the ed show." you know it, i know it. a lot of people know it. the republicans have been lying about medicare for weeks. this is the romney campaign. but today, paul ryan added, we have a whole new twist. he wants voters to just ignore details because they're just too complicated. >> it's a big law. i could go chapter and verse, but i won't bore you or upset you.

>> it's boring when you lose your medicare. i got you. don't worry, mr. ryan. we're not bored or upset. we can handle the truth and i think americans can, too. let's start with the republicans' same old claim repackaged in a brand new commercial. >> president obama is raiding $716 billion from medicare, changing the program forever. >> didn't we take care of this last week? that's the republican lie you're going to hear over and over again. the president is raiding medicare. here is the absolute truth. the affordable care act saved $716 billion. it cut overpayments and unnecessary costs. it's kind of like if you cut a luxury item, if you're in a position to be able to do that. you cut a luxury item out of your household budget, you're saving money. you're not raiding your family budget. romney and ryan would be the

ones raiding medicare when they change the law. >> which by the way, we win, we repeal obama care. it's just that simple. it's just that simple. >> yes, it is. it is that simple. they would take all the savings from the affordable care act and lump it in with the rest of the sweeping budget cuts out there that they want to do. the medicare costs, you know what is going to happen to them? it's going to shift to the seniors. and you don't have to take my word for it. today in the "new york times," a variety of budget and health experts say the republican plan would immediately add hundreds of dollars a year to out of pocket medicare expenses for beneficiaries. mitt romney pretended to give voters the details last week with his white board. but of course, he keeps spelling out the same old lie. let me put it to you this way. a range of experts tells the "new york times" romney's plan

would cost seniors hundreds of dollars a year over the next decade. it is really that simple. this is not complicated, but here is where there's a lot of seniors in our society who are not tech savvy, i'm not dissing anybody, i think it's a generational fact in the information age. a lot of them aren't tech savvy and they don't have it at their fingertips the way a lot of people do, you know what i mean, the truth. they buy into the sound bites, into the commercials, they're buying into the lies. it's the job of every journalists to make sure that the truth is told. i'm joined tonight by jonathan alter, msnbc political analyst and columnist for bloomberg view. great to have you with us. you have been on this from day one. it seems like the game plan is just go try to fool as many seniors as they can. your thoughts on this.

>> that is the game plan. it's quite scary for a lot of democrats. they see in those days, in 2010, instead of using $716 billion in cuts, they used a more accurate figure, $500 billion, although it was savings and it might have seemed as if seniors were going to lose $500 billion from their medicare. it worked. that's largely why they took the house back in 2010. the problem with it is it's not true. just to get down into the weeds for just a second because it's really important to do this, ed, what it did was it stopped overpayments to providers and insurance companies through a program called medicare advantage. there wasn't a dime of benefits that were cut for seniors from basic medicare by obama care. actually, obama care did a lot for seniors.

particularly closing what's called the doughnut hole, which is a quirk in the old law, pre-obama care law that required seniors to out of pocket pay hundreds of dollars a year for prescription drugs. also under the previous law, had to pay for screening and preventive care that would save them a lot of money. if obama care is repealed, just to finish this, because the details are extremely important and they're not well understood. if obama care is repealed, the doughnut hole will open again, seniors will have to pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket for prescription drugs, they will no longer be covered for these preventive care procedures, and it will, as those economists and health care experts said in the "new york times," it will cost seniors. what you have is one party that is saying things that are untrue about the president, putting millions of dollars from super

pacs in the romney campaign behind it. and we'll see if seniors can be fooled in this election. >> and there's 51% of the voters out there don't really have an opinion of what the republican medicare plan is, which i think is a dangerous number because they could sway a lot of people with the lies they're throwing out there. jonathan alter, great to have you with us tonight. thanks so much. >> a lot more coming up in the next half hour of "the ed show." stay with us. republicans in congress let -- no, no, no. don't boo. vote. >> the republican obstruction in congress leads to a dire warning from the congressional budget office about a double-dip recession. the romney camp is whacking the president on it, and tonight, senator barbara boxer is here to whack back. paranoia from the bench in texas where a judge is talking about civil war if the president wins re-election.

>> civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war, maybe. and president obama is nailing mitt romney's attack on public educators. >> governor romney says we've got enough teachers. we don't need any more. >> tonight, super bowl champ warren sapp on president obama, athletics and politics, and how public education helped make him an nfl legend. xó

welcome back to "the ed show." the congressional budget office is out with a brand new report and republicans are using it to attack president obama and the economy. of course, the gop fails to mention their obstructionist tactics and the part they have played in the big problem we have with america's economy right now, but the cbo says the country is on track for a recession, a double-dip recession next year, if congress

continues to do nothing. the nonpartisan office projects the so-called fiscal cliff, a one-two punch of tax hikes and spending cuts will slow growth and increase unemployment. on january 1st, 2013, the bush tax cuts expire along with the stimulus tax cuts, the payroll tax cuts, and the business investment tax cuts. there's a lot on the table. at the same time, spending will decrease by about $100 billion. all of which could trigger a double-dip recession. well, republicans see a big opening to jump start their narrative on the economy. the romney/ryan campaign issuing this statement today. today's cbo report is another indictment of president obama's economic policies that have resulted in overspending, increased debt, and a growing financial burden on the next generation. yet when senate democrats passed a measure on extending tax cuts for 98% of americans, house

republicans, they shot the plan down. the automatic spending cuts will kick in as a result of congress failing to work out a deal on deficit reduction. the white house is urging action on both fronts. and hitting the republicans for their obstructionist tactics. they're willing to hold the middle class hostage unless we also give massive new tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires. tax cuts we can't afford that would do nothing to strengthen the economy. we're joined tonight by barbara boxer, senator of california, here on "the ed show." good to have you with us tonight. this cbo report, we can see what the republicans are going oo do with it. they're going to walk right down memory lane saying that president obama spent a lot of money, president obama doesn't have an idea on how to run the economy. they're going to use this, no doubt, to get the narrative going on the economy for mitt romney, which they have had a hard time doing.

but doesn't this put in some sense the democrats on the defensive and is this a tough report to read right now? how do you conclude what's in this report? >> well, having lived through all of this fiscal nightmare, i want to say a couple things. if the republicans had cooperated with president obama when he said, i have a way to do a big deal here, to really get us on that fiscal path to be fair, to make sure that we invest in our people at the same time reduce this deficit in a sensible way, we would have been in a different situation. but paul ryan, it's been reported, was one of the leaders who said, they didn't want to have anything to do with the president. here's why. they want tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. president obama supports giving everybody a tax cut up to $250,000, so everyone's taxes, everyone who pays taxes in this

country, that first $250,000 of income, they will get the bush tax cuts. over $250,000, the clinton tax cuts, those rates will kick in. and that's why they will not go along with us. remember, they held the debt ceiling hostage, which was awful. we got a downgrade on our bonds because of it. and they're the ones who pushed this automatic spending cuts. and we could take that off the table, those automatic spending cuts, that's part of the fiscal cliff, by bringing home the money from the wars which is president obama's idea because he's bringing the wars to a close, and also making sure that we give that first $250,000, the tax break, but after that, everyone pays the clinton rates. that fiscal cliff is over. so they can say everything they want. but i think people will know who's been obstructing. >> well, will the republicans do the right thing and act on these tax cuts and spending cuts?

or are they going to hang the economy out there and blame it on the democrats? >> oh, i think that it seems to me they want to put everything off until after the election. and we actually in the senate, we were able to do something i think that was very smart with harry reid's leadership. we were able to get them to stand down from the filibuster and we passed that tax cut. everybody gets it up to $250,000. after that, clinton tax cuts kick in for those over $250,000. we passed that with a majority vote, and they're sitting on it and won't do it. >> but the cbo report paints a very tough picture in january of 2013. and this is going to be an argument that the democrats are going to have to win with the public, is it not? this squarely puts the focus back on winning the argument. how do the democrats win that argument? >> as i said, number one, president obama had the plan. if they had stayed at the table, we would not have any problems. he also had a jobs bill, the

second jobs bill, they walked away from it. the democrats in the senate already passed the tax cuts, but we're asking people over $250,000, after the $250,000 in income to pay a little more. they walked away. i don't worry about this because everybody knows we have seen more filibusters in the united states senate than ever before. everything we try to do. >> ever before, no question. >> what we need to do is get this done before the election. >> senator, you've got a petition out demanding to see mitt romney's tax returns. i understand almost 100,000 people have signed this. and you have delivered it to his office in california. is this a hot issue with senators on the democratic side? is full disclosure really what this is about? >> it's a hot issue with my constituents, and we didn't deliver the petition yet. we're just announcing it on your show that we're going to deliver it tomorrow, and i hope people who want to join us will go to barbaraboxer.com/mitt, and sign.

because you know, father knows best. his dad said 12 years of income tax returns. that's what you should do, son. he talked to all of us. he said if you run for president, you have to do that. and i think we know that mitt romney shipped jobs overseas by the tens of thousands. did he also ship his money overseas? and i want to know that. and my constituents want to know that. >> senator, good to have you with us tonight. appreciate your time on "the ed show." california senator barbara boxer here with us tonight. coming up, the judge with a conspiracy theory the size of texas. find out why he's afraid lubbock county will be invaded and what he promises to do to stop it. that's next.

coming up, some judges will say anything. and you won't believe what a texas judge is speculating could happen if president obama wins re-election. the latest right wing conspiracy, next.

stay tuned. tossing and turning have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as $15 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta.

welcome back to "the ed show." a judge in lubbock county, texas, called for a minor tax hike and ended up getting national attention today. judge tom head believes the president will let the united nations take control of the country if he's re-elected. he paints a very chilling picture. >> i'm thinking worst case scenario. civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war maybe, we're not talking just a few riots here and demonstrations. we're talking -- we're talking lexington concord, take up arms and get rid of the guy. okay, what's going to happen if we do that? if the public decides to do that? he's going to send in u.n. troops. >> mm-hmm. >> u.n. troops with the blue beanies. i don't want them in lubbock county. >> judge head said he's going to stand in front of armored personnel carriers if he has to.

by the way, this is not judge head's first headline. in 2009, he got in trouble for posting this bulletin board at the courthouse. it shows mostly african-americans wearing obama t-shirts in their mug shots. he wrote, do you ever see anyone arrested wearing a bush t-shirt? the judge later apologized. judge head is the director of emergency management. he issues alcohol permits. he also conducts mental competency hearings. tonight, the judge tried to clarify his remarks about the u.n. invading lubbock county. he said he just wants to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. tonight, in our survey, i asked, should voters trust the romney ticket when it comes to their social agenda? 3% of you say yes, 97% of you say no. coming up, former nfl great defensive tackle warren sapp is here to talk about politics and

the importance of public education. the super bowl champ joins me next. stay with us. those little things still get you. 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.

the plan governor romney has put forward would cut america's investment in education by nearly 20%. he's not making these cuts because he wants to create jobs or pay down the deficit. he's doing it to pay for a new $5 trillion tax cut that's

weighted toward the wealthiest americans. >> and to the big finish tonight. president obama really going after mitt romney's proposed education cuts in las vegas today. looking at paul ryan's budget, he has $115 billion in cuts to education, the education department over the next ten years. romney and ryan's cuts would kill the only opportunity many kids have at getting out of the cycle of poverty. president obama stressed the importance of education to the students during a stop to a las vegas high school today. >> there's nothing more important to our country's future than the education we give our children. that if you're willing to study hard and you're willing to work hard, no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter where you came from, no matter what your last name is, here in america, you can make it if you try. >> and our guest tonight, forming nfl defensive tackle warren sapp, is a shining example of what the president was talking about.

warren sapp didn't have much growing up. he was raised by a single mother who worked four jobs to support the family, but with the support of his football coaches, teachers in public education, his mother, it set the table for him to go on and have success and be an all-pro defensive tackle in the nfl. in husband book, he gives credit to public education saying the fact is the lessons i learned about life while playing football at apopka high school are what made me all-pro. great to have you on the program tonight, great to have you with us. been a fan for a long time. you are an obama supporter. and this is really a big discussion in america because the republicans are really wanting to cut public education. how important was it to you growing up? it's really -- your life is a testimony to public education, isn't it? >> very simple for me, ed. i can tell you my third, fourth, fifth grade, sixth and seventh grade teachers buzz they meant so much to me. school was the only thing i had.

to miss school, you would be by yourself. it was the foundation in which was going to take me to college and get me out of the little country town. >> why do you support president obama? >> it's serious. schools, seniors, infrastructure and clean energy. those are the four things that will lead us into the 21st century. he's focused on those things and i love his message. >> do you think big named players like yourself should speak out more about who to support and why because people of your profile and professional athletes have such an impact on young people in this country and could really make a difference and help him get thinking about things they need to be a part of? >> i tell you what, it's real difficult and a tightrope we walk when you talk about politics and supports because those two things that rile up the country more than anything, and then you throw god and guns in and it's over at that point. you want to work your own community. if you work your community and the people around your

community, that's the way to do it, the best way. not on the national stage unless you want that heat. >> does it scare you when you hear that the number of public school teachers that are being let go across the country? what does that mean to you? >> it's scary because you talk about the kids not being able to -- the teachers not being able to be attentive to the kids. we have to lower the amount of students to get their homework, do the things we need to build our future because the kids are our future and we must invest in their education. >> no doubt about it. i got to ask you, you had quite a rival going with green bay quarterback brett favre. he played for the jets and also the vikings. what was your best moment on the field going after him? >> you know what, just the conversations? two country boys out there in the middle of the field having a good time, playing until the clock goes to zero because it wasn't -- it wasn't going to be anything that was going to stop us other than that. we were battling for our ball clubs and wanted to do the best for our teams and you know, two country boys, it's hard to get

them off the open field. that's what we did. >> you had really high remarks for tony dungy. he had a real impact on your career. how special is he to you? >> you know, whenever you have a man that is as steady as a rock and comes to work every day and lets you know exactly what is expected of you and how to get it done, that's a beautiful thing to come to a job and expect nothing that you physically can't do, i'm never going to ask you to do that, and then be a shining example at home of a husband and a dad, what else could you ask for? >> warren sapp, great book. i read some of it. i'm looking forward to reading the whole thing. it's important that people growing up read this. all the best to you. thank you for joining us tonight. >> my pleasure. >> warren sapp, author of "sapp attacks." that's "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. the "rachel maddow show" starts right now. good evening. thanks, man, and thanks to you at home for staying with us for the next h