geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. thanks so much for watching. "the ed show" starts now. good evening americans and welcome to "the ed show", live from new york. we're not shut down and we ain't defaulting. let's get to work. ♪ >> organizing and are going to shut down washington, d.c. >> truckers shutting down america. the strike that they have planned. >> find out first about these truckers and stand behind them. >> try to hop aboard. if stupid politicians are allowed to continue, they're

destruction. >> truck drivers will not haul freight. ♪ ♪ best of all, i don't pay property tax ♪ >> strike in solidarity with the truck drivers. >> be sure and tell 'em large marge send ya. >> you can't tie a trucker down. you certainly can't. ♪ what a day in the news it has been. today is tuesday. i can't wait until thursday, because that's when the truckers come to town. the first level of scheduled disruption in america, because of what's happening in washington. today has been a war of words, back and forth. the president came out, held a press conference or a briefing, whatever you want to call it. i think he was pleading more than doing anything else. making sure that this doesn't spiral out of control and the american people understand exactly what the heck is going

on. and then we find out later today that this guy, john boehner, who can take care of it all by just calling for one simple vote, but he won't do it. he's got a new set of talking points, moments ago, boehner addressed the media. >> so the president's position that, listen, we're not going to sit down and talk to you until you surrender, is just not sustainable. it's not our system of government. when it comes to the debt limit, i agree with the president. we should pay our bills. i didn't come here to shut down the government. i certainly didn't come here to default on our debt. but when it comes to the debt limit, again, over the last 40 years, 27 times, the debt limit has been used to carry significant policy changes that would, in fact, reduce spending and put us on a saner fiscal path. >> forget what he says 100%. it's just a new set of talking points. the bottom line is this.

john boehner will not bring a continuing resolution, single vote, to the floor. he won't do it. because he knows he would be a loser, huge. now, what's interesting about this is that the right wing is now trying to encourage these truckers who are coming on thursday to washington, d.c., the very people they have done nothing for, a group called truckers, ride for the constitution, is planning this three-day protest in washington, d.c. it's part of a plan to shut down america and restore our constitutional republic. question number one, how many of them will be armed? probably most of them. the -- this friday, 3,000 truckers plan to slow down the d.c. beltway by driving 55 miles per hour in all of the lanes and the truckers are now saying if the cops give them any guff or a hard time, they are going to lock the brakes up, and cause a

three-lane roadblock. these are angry americans. they are upset about low wages. think about that. truckers are upset about low wages. these guys, men and women, and from all demographics in america, not just old angry white guys. the bottom line is, these truckers, many of them, are making the same amount of money they made back in 1989. they haven't -- they're down on the blue line. you know we show you the vulture chart. they're down on the blue line and below. in fact, they have been depressed below the blue line. they're upset about low wages. they're upset about high fuel prices. really? what have the republicans done about that? not a damn thing. in fact, i think these truckers, they ought to find out who exactly is in favor of big oil subsidies. and, of course, regulations. it's always easy to get a low-information voter upset about regulations. and they're upset about the debt

limit. but wait a minute, now we're really getting down to it. they're upset about corruption and they really hate this guy, president obama. that's what this is all about. they also have plans to arrest members of congress who have violated their oath of office. does that mean they're going off boehner? one trucker said, quote, we want these people arrested, and we're coming in with the grand jury to do it. we are going to ask the law enforcement to uphold their constitutional oath and make these arrests. and if they refuse, we'll do it. we will. we, the people, will find a way. is that a threat? and, of course, the right wing talkers of america, they just can't get enough of this stuff. if these truckers try to shut -- if they try to shut this -- the city down, it's going to be big-time trouble, okay? if they try this stunt, they will be arrested for -- i don't know, kidnapping, among other things. this is one angry and disturbed bunch of folks. and they have been listening to

radio all across the country, who are encouraging -- encouraging them to make them think they really can do this and get away with it. >> four more years of obama will end america, the country we love, as we know it. >> obama monkeying the numbers here, jimmying around with things in an election year. >> i don't know what tomorrow's job numbers are going to be. i have no doubt they'll cook the books. >> gun violence is plummeting. here we have a totally made-up crisis. in fact, i'll bet you -- it's kind of like global warming. >> now the president said travon could have been me 35 years ago. is that the president admitting that, i guess, what, he was part of a gang and smoked pot and did a little blow? >> in the front door. in and out the front door. yes, i spoke a little negro dialect there. i can do that when i want to. >> now, if you go from norfolk, virginia, all the way across the country to san francisco, you can pick these guys up all over the place, and that's what these truckers do all of the time.

so now they're going to come to d.c. and they're going to give the support to these fringy republicans like john boehner, because we know it's obama's fault. boehner has no problem letting the government default on its debt to get what he wants, just like these truckers. boehner isn't thinking about the consequences of his actions. if boehner causes a default, it could take us back to this, the good old days. >> overseas markets tumbled this morning amid word that one of the large's largest investment firms, lehman brothers, is filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy. >> the system is rocked to its foundation as top wall street institutions topple under a mountain of debt. >> the sixth biggest point drop in history. >> the u.s. stock market under pressure as people worry about the ripple effects of the lehman bankruptcy. >> all of this fallout from what happened last night in new york. as lehman brothers filed for bankruptcy protection, just after midnight. >> this is one of the ugliest days i have ever seen in my career. >> unfettered capitalism can

breed corruption. we're seeing teddy roosevelt's words come true. >> they're calling this the biggest breakup since the great depression. >> we thought we would take you back to the good old days of news when days weren't so good. since the collapse of 2008, we have made remarkable progress, thanks to president obama and the democrats who have passed a lot of stuff to help us get to 42 straight months of private sector job growth, with no republican help. 7.5 million new jobs created. the automobile industry saved. 370,000 automobile industry jobs have been created under president obama. the housing market, where is that? it's finally making a comeback, according to a new study. the market is running at 85% of normal activity. foreclosures are down 34% compared to last year. boehner, if he causes a default, the consequences would be

devastating to every single america and every sector of the economy. the stock market would collapse. gas prices will go through the roof. car sales are going to drop. new job hiring is going to stop. the housing market will collapse. truck sales will definitely collapse. the airline industry, the construction industry, charitable donations will be down, and big banks are going to be right back at the trough, saying, we need a bailout. president obama not happy with republicans threatening default because he knows the consequences. he talked about it this afternoon about not paying the bills. >> if congress refuses to raise what's called the debt ceiling, america would not be able to meet all of our financial obligations for the first time in 225 years. and a decision to actually go through with it, to actually permit default, according to many ceos and economists would be, and i'm quoting here, insane, catastrophic, chaos.

these are some of the more polite words. warren buffett likened default to a nuclear bomb, a weapon too horrible to use. it would disrupt markets, it would undermine the world's confidence in america as the bedrock of the global economy. and it might permanently increase our borrowing costs. >> all sounds republican good, doesn't it? boehner's playing with fire. he's putting all the progress on the line in an effort to tarnish the president, injure the economy and put it on his legacy. and one more thing about these truckers. there are 3.5 million truckers across this country. okay, 3,000 are going to show up. i had a boatload call my radio show today. here's one of them. >> i'm an independent trucker. i drive across the country. and i have no health care. i have a preexisting condition. i sold everything, i liquidated. i've got myself down to where i

can scratch out a living. i'm one of the lucky ones, i guess. but on that note, on october 1st, i was tickled pink bause i was able to get my insurance back. >> so when the beckster says that we've got to support these people, which ones is he talking about? republicans versus wage earners again. if you're a trucker, may i ask you tonight, what in the hell have republicans done for you? they have let subsidies run wild to the oil companies. they have done nothing to reel in the speculation on wall street, because they don't want any -- any regulation whatsoever. they want all deregulation. tell me, what have the republicans done for you independent truckers out there who are on your own. you entrepreneurs of america, what have they done for you? i'll tell you, nothing. nothing. just make sure, if you come to washington, you are well intended. it's boehner's fault. it's the republicans' fault. we are headed for default, because of them.

get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question. do republicans know what default would really mean for america? text a. for yes, b. for no. 67622. you can always go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com. results later on in the show. for more, let's turn to california congressman, john garamendi. congressman, good to have you with us tonight. >> always a pleasure, ed. >> a war of words here. i think we're going default. i haven't seen anything in the last 24 hours that would change that at all. how does this end? >> well, presently, it doesn't end in a very pretty picture for america. all of the problems that you have talked about and a whole lot more are out there. but as you said, all it takes is a vote. we could get a clean, continuing resolution, fund the government for the next month to two months, and then sit down and negotiate what we really need to do, which is a balanced approach to the deficit and make sure that we fund those critical programs that are essential for the truckers, like how about a transportation plan?

one where we actually improve and build the roads and make sure those bridges don't collapse below the truckers. >> that's a heck of a point. because the president has been talking about infrastructure for a long time. has gotten no help from the republicans at all. in fact, he's mocked quite often when he talks about infrastructure investment. and it's ironic that these truckers are going to be the first disrupters coming to washington. they're the ones that are driving on the lousy bridges that the republicans don't want to fix! >> well, there's some 16,000 bridges out there that are in serious need. they are considered to be at high-risk. the president, in his budget, that the republicans have refused to negotiate, actually called for a major infrastructure program to fix the bridges, to build the roads, to move this nation. it was part of his budget. in march of this year, his budget was on the table. the democratic senate and house budget was on the table, and the republican budget was on the table. we have asked for a conference

committee 19 times since march. boehner has refused to appoint conferees on the budget. and guess what happens? here we are with this crisis. manufactured by speaker boehner. this is the boehner default that's coming down on us. >> okay. >> because he has refused to negotiate. >> and let's talk about that default. i want to play this clip of senator tom coburn of oklahoma, downplaying the effects of a default. here it is. >> there is no such thing as a debt ceiling in this country, because it's never been not increased. and that's why we're $17 trillion in debt. and i would dispel the rumor that is going around that you hear on every newscast that if we don't raise the debt ceiling, we will default on our debt. we won't. we'll continue to pay our interest. we'll continue to redeem bonds. and we'll issue new bonds to replace those. so that -- it's not entirely accurate. >> what's your reaction to that, congressman? >> well, i think he ought to

just get in his car and drive up to the sage of omaha and have a conversation with mr. buffett, who really understands finance and obviously the good doctor doesn't have a clue what national, international finances are all about. he is absolutely dead wrong. this is a major crisis. if the united states were to default, it is a default crisis of unknown proportions, because never in the history of this country has the united states not been able to pay. and, by the way, these are debts, these are obligations that are racked up by us in congress over the last century. so we are going to pay our debts, unless -- unless speaker boehner has his default crisis and it's in his hands. he is the man that's controlling this entire game. >> it is in his hands and he is the one that can make the difference. i find it very interesting that, you know, they exonerate themselves from going to war and not paying for it. all of the things that have been

off-budget. all of the things they don't want to pay for right now, which takes us to the generational conversation of what the conservatives have wanted to do all along, is blow up the federal budget deficit, get government into a bathtub. but now they have taken it to def con had and say we're not going to pay the bills and the people hurt are the middle class americans. wealthy people are going to take their money out of the market, they're going to sit on it, cut their losses and ride this thing out. nobody wealthy, john, is going to be hurt by this. you agree with me on that? >> well, that's certainly been the case, thus far. you take a look at what's happened since the great crisis of 2007 and '08. 95% of all the wealth this country has created in those five, six years has gone to the super wealthy, the top 1%. >> they're going to park their money. they're going to park their money, they're going to sit this thing out. the poor, the middle class, the minorities of this country are the ones that are going to be destitute. you're going to see

belt-tightening big-time. you're going to see corporations that are going to be cutting payroll. you're going to see every industry hurt if we default. and it's all because of boehner's ego and his speakership. how else -- >> that's correct. i'm afraid that's correct. and it's a great tragedy. we don't need to be here. we can go right across now in the next 15 minutes, vote that continuing resolution out. and, by the way, the continuing resolution actually is a very difficult compromise for democrats. >> it is. it's their numbers. >> when they say it's their number, it's actually $80 billion less than the president and the democrats wanted to spend in the coming year. so it is a very significant. it also includes all of those fully sequestration things. >> congressman john garamendi of california. good to have you with us. thank you, appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thanks for your time tonight. of course, we'll have much more on the shutdown, ahead. remember to answer tonight's question there at the bottom of the screen, share your thoughts on twitter at ed show and facebook. like us on facebook.

we appreciate that. always love your comments. up next, soul food with preacher pat. the tv evangelist is schilling some divine diet tips. plus, michele bachmann's tie to the end of humanity. stay tuned for trenders. ♪ if we want to improve our schools... ... what should we invest in? maybe new buildings? what about updated equipment? they can help, but recent research shows... ... nothing transforms schools like investing in advanced teacher education. let's build a strong foundation. let's invest in our teachers so they can inspire our students. let's solve this. so she could take her dream to the next level. so we talked about her options.

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oh, they must be getting nervous. a new twist to the trucker story. according to the "washington post," earl conlon, the man who told "u.s. news and world report" there would be a trucker rally on thursday, now claims this was all a scheme to get mainstream media attention, and there will not be a thursday protest. stay tuned. we're right back. when you have diabetes like i do,

you want a way to help minimize blood sugar spikes. support heart health. and your immune system. now there's new glucerna advance with three benefits in one. [ male announcer ] new glucerna advance. from the brand doctors recommend most. time now for "the trenders" connect with us in social media.

i hope i didn't scare those truckers away. you know, i'm feeling kind of guilty right now. i just gave them all this publicity about their big rally and now they're saying they're not going to go? come on! i thought you folks were all about disruption out there. not really. because the truckers that called my talk show today are very happy with obama care and the lot and the way this economy is going. "ed show" social media nation has decide and had we are reporting. and here are today's top trenders as voted on by you. >> give us, lord, our daily -- >> bread. >> the number-three trender. carbo load. >> when your body burns this stuff with no carbohydrates, what happens is you build up the clunkers. >> is butter a carb? >> i know everybody -- thought atkins was wonderful and they have all these scientific tests. but that's the truth of it. >> pat robertson weighs in on your daily bread. >> if you don't have some carbs in there, the carbs are the fire

that burn everything completely. you eat cheese and veggies, but sooner or later, it violates the principles that god set down. >> the number-two trender. parks and rec. >> today visitors from around the world were turned away from the grand canyon. >> people are not listening to the rules, they are pulling over, taking pictures. >> an arizona legislator raises a fear over the shutdown. >> boy, that escalated quickly. >> please stop calling people hitler when you disagree with them. >> in today's top trender, end zone. >> as i look at the end time scripture, this says to me that the leaf is on the fig tree. >> michele bachmann lies about syria. >> president obama waived a ban on arming terrorists in order to allow weapons to go to the syrian opposition. u.s. taxpayers are now paying to give arms to terrorists, including al qaeda. >> and predicts apocalypse.

>> and we are to understand the signs of times. >> if this city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportion. >> we need to rejoice. come, lord jesus. his day is at hand. >> old testament real wrath of god type stuff. >> when we see up is down, and right is called wrong. >> human sacrifice, dogs and cats, living together. that's hysteria! ♪ it's the end of the world as we know it ♪ ♪ it's the end of the world as we know it ♪ >> joining me now, john fugelsa fugelsang, liberal commentator and comedian. does it scare you that michele bachmann is on the intelligence committee? >> you know, mr. schultz, it's so easy for liberals like you to make fun of ms. bachmann, just because she is the first congress person to serve on an outpatient basis, just because she thinks arab spring is a saudi deodorant, but michele bachmann knows what she is talking about.

she owns a bible, but it's just a book of revolution, two lines of leviticus and duct-taped to the "left behind" books. >> she is making a serious accusation about the president of the united states that someone on the intelligence committee is making an accusation, connecting the president to terrorist activity. >> yes. she is saying that this president is an amnesty-granting, tax-raising guy who arms terrorists. and i'm like, michelle, you're thinking of reagan again. what she is doing here is trying to equate the syrian rebels and saying they're all al qaeda. she did lie. and we all know john mccain has said he could vet every one using his famous terrorist gay door. nothing new from here but the rapture talk is scary. >> are you concerned and should others be concerned there are others end-timers in congress. >> this is the real problem. there are thousands of people in this country who aren't afraid of climate change and not afraid of violence in the mid east and not afraid of nuclear war in iran. many want it, because they have

the spiritual narcissism from misreading the bible they think this is going to be their vip pass behind the velvet rope to god's champagne room in the club. >> why are these christian conservatives trying to tank the economy? why do they want to shut down -- they don't have any problem with default. they shut down the government, hurt hundreds of thousands of americans out there. a lady called me today, her husband works for dod, they lived on a fixed income, can't pay their rent november 1st. she was in tears. why do these christians want to hurt these people? >> i spent the last month working on a documentary film. no one believes in retirement anymore. it's not these christians doing it, per se. they're doing as they're told and many of them are nice people. >> being misused. they have fallen for the big lie. jesus says i have to help the pugh but i shouldn't do it benghazi. jesus didn't have democracy. we do. if you don't want a government based on the teachings of

christ, you don't have to have one. what's so sinister is this rapture ends time thing and it's really just the end times of her time in congress. because the rapture isn't even in the bible. it's bible fan fiction. >> let's go back to our first trender. what does pat robertson want me to eat? >> clinkers? >> i don't know what that one is. that must be new on the market. >> i -- let's tell michele bachmann, it's the rapture but not the end of the world. >> great to have you with us tonight. thank you. still ahead, a furloughed worker in ohio has a direct message for john boehner. he joins us live. but first -- >> i continue to believe that citizens united contributed to some of the problems we're having in washington right now. >> i believe i said that on this program a few days ago. pumping up the rich our rapid response tanl tackles a new supreme court case. they heard oral arguments today that could be citizens united on steroids. next, i'm taking your questions, live.

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at angie's list. join today at angieslist.com thank you for watching "the ed show" and for participating in this segment. we love hearing from our viewers, "ask ed live." first question from michael. is america finally seeing what a tea party america would look like? no. but you might real soon, with default. because that's what they're all about. that's right. when there is not enough money for basic services in communities, here's the homework assignment for all of you wonderful ed viewers out there tonight. check your state budget. find out how much money your state gets from the federal government. and see if they're going to be getting any of that money after we default. you won't get a dime. and things will change big-time in every state. our next question is from

timbuktu, milwaukee. yeah, right. is ted cruz an american? uh, on paper, he is. he just doesn't act like one. he doesn't think like one. he doesn't feel like one. he is cold, he is callous. he wouldn't give the shirt off his back to a neighbor in a hard time. just listen to him. stick around. rapid response panel, coming up. i'm sue herrera with your cnbc market wrap. stocks finishing sharply lower today. the dow losing 159 points. the s&p down 20 and the nasdaq falling 75. the energy department expects 90% of homes will pay more for heat this winter, thanks for higher prices for natural gas, electricity and oil. and jcpenney's stock actually rose after the retailer reported that sales trends were improving. yum brands, which owns kfc and taco bell, reported a 68% loss

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good to have you back with us. thanks for watching tonight. i've said it before, i believe it. i'll say it again. george w. bush was the most successful conservative president of all-time. look what the guy did. he got tax cuts for the wealthiest americans, got us into a couple wars, blew up the federal budget deficit. now look where we are. and his most enduring legacy, george w. bush tipped the scales of the supreme court. his justice nominations gave the supreme court a conservative majority and have had a lasting impact on our laws and our society. we felt the impact just this year. when the court stripped the voting rights act. we felt it in 2010 when their ruling on citizens united struck

down limits on independent campaign spending by corporations. now the conservative court is gearing up for yet another decision that could change the way we do politics in this country. today the justices heard oral arguments in a case that's being called citizens united on steroids. sean mccutcheon, ceo, is the plaintiff in the case of mccutcheon versus federal exchange committee. now this man claims aggregate contribution limits violate the first amendment by limiting an individual donor's political expression. mccutcheon is now challenging the aggregate limit on donations to federal candidates, political parties and political action committees. president obama weighed in on the case at the press conference this afternoon. >> the latest case would go even further than citizens united. essentially, it would say anything goes. there are no rules in terms of how to finance campaigns.

there aren't a lot of functioning democracies around the world that work this way. where you can basically have millionaires and billionaires bank rolling whoever they want, however they want, and in some cases undisclosed. and what it means is, ordinary americans are shut out of the process. >> so if you're wondering who this would help, let's just look at it this way. mccutcheon was partnered with the rnc and senate minority leader, mitch mcconnell, has joined the suit as an outside party. let's go to the rapid response panel tonight. brad wood house, ruth conna and mitch caesar joins us, chairman of the broward county democratic party in florida. ruth, start with you tonight. what does this mean for the future of our democracy, that rich guys, rich men and women, can just write the check and bankroll any kind of campaign

they want to drive their personal agenda and overwhelm the people. your thoughts. what's this mean? >> well, we're saying what it means right now with the government shutdown. in fact, it's interesting, because we see -- the "new york times" sunday, we saw this incredible report about the koch brothers, who spent $400 million in the last election cycle of the record $7 billion spent thanks to citizens united. they got together a group of people and planned the government shutdown. they planned not to allow the affordable care act to go into effect. and to bring the government to a complete, screeching halt. and they gave the republicans their talking points about how this law was a train wreck, before it ever even went into effect. and because of their influence now, a minority of tea party activists can bring our whole government to a halt, can stop single mothers from getting infant formula for their babies, for as long as they like, because they don't want this subtle law to take effect. and that's really what happens when you say that money equals speech. you empower these right wing billionaires and millionaires to have this hugely

disproportionate effect on our democracy and to stop things people want from happening. >> and you know, mitch caesar, i think ohio, i think florida, i think these very important states, you know -- when it comes to the general election. how dangerous is this? >> well, i think it's very dangerous. people are very angry. and those states especially. their swing states. but they're angry everywhere. what people have to remember is elections have consequences. and when you elect a president, they appoint a supreme court, and these decisions, as might occur from today's arguments, will have repercussions beyond this president's term and probably for a generation. what this sets up potentially, negatively, and already the election was swiss cheese, and, in fact, that's the argument republicans use to throw it out, interestingly, throwing out the watergate reforms, you could have some billionaire basically go up and adopt a congressman. that's what this is. adopt a congressman plan. so where before perhaps a safe conservative republican district

may require being in a room with 20 donors, god forbid any real constituents. but 20 donors, what occurs then is they just have to sit with one person. this gives new meaning to one-on-one campaigning. this is like the old commercial when you talk about inexpensive furniture. this is rent-to-own and they end up owning. >> what does it mean knick co mcconnell is on board here? this is the government they want. they just want the power and control. >> that's exactly right. i mean, will wonders never cease. the republican party wants to shut ordinary people out and let millionaires and billionaires buy elections. it's as predictable as john boehner's tan. this is typical of what's going on with the republican party. i really think this is the gop survival plan. they got citizens united. and the super pacs, i think, did play a big role in defeating democrats in 2010. but they couldn't win the presidential election in 2012. so now they just want to bust

the limits on the candidate and the committee side. and it will just ruin the opportunity of ordinary americans to have their voice heard. >> not only did the president talk about this today about what's in front of the supreme court right now, he connected citizens united to the government shutdown. take a listen to this. i think this is important. >> i continue to believe that citizens united contributed to some of the problems we're having in washington right now. you have some ideological extremist who have a big bank roll and they can entirely skew our politics. and there are a whole bunch of members of congress right now who will private tell you i know our positions are unreasonable, but we're scared that if we don't go along with the tea party agenda or the -- some particularly extremist agenda, we'll be challenged from the right. and the threats are very explicit. and so they towed the line. and that's part of why we have

seen a breakdown of normal routine business done here in washington on behalf of the american people. >> it had to be said. i'm proud of the president. i'm proud he said it. statesmanship has now left the building. okay. honorable people are going to be extinct when it comes to our political process. but what i want to raise this flag, if i can. we have talked on this program about these radical governors out there, who have attacked public employees. who have gone after school budgets. let me tell you something. if this goes through, if this guy wins his case, if the supreme court rules that individuals can do this, ruth c conniff, this is going to go all the way to school board elections, county elections. this is going to be a cash whip society when it comes to running politics at a local level. your thoughts on that. >> well, that's absolutely right. and i think what is so important right now, what the progressive

side and really just defenders of civil society need to do is run for those local seats and have that farm team that can move up so that we aren't dominated by these politicians who are really just tools of the right wing billionaires. but it makes it a lot harder when the right is able to buy even the school board level seats. right now that's not the case. right now progressives really have a fighting chance, especially in smaller towns and that's happening all over wisconsin. >> mitch, do you think the conservative supreme court is going to find a way to justify eliminating all of these caps? >> well, it's interesting. because they could end up either doing nothing, changing everything, or maybe just saying the caps themselves are unconstitutional. what's interesting is in the past, justice roberts, the chief justice, as you remember, affirmed obama care. the affordable care act. which people didn't expect. and he did it to in effect save the reputation of the court. we'll be interested to see if he today or in the coming weeks makes a decision in which he tries to either preserve the

supreme court's image or in turn save the republican party. >> and brad freeman -- brad woodhouse, in some perverse way, this could help democrats too if this ruling goes through. it's going to be an absolute free-fall. it's not as if the democrats can can compete at this level. hollywood has got a lot of money. >> i guess we can, ed. but it's not the way we want to go. i think one of the strengths of the democratic side and one of the reasons republicans are pursuing this change, is because we can raise money from small-dollar donors, because the president proved you can have a grass roots network that can weigh in and that can raise money. i don't think anybody on our side, at least, wants millionaires and billionaires, whether they be on the left or the right, to determine the outcome of every election in this country. >> the little people in america have to count if we're going to be america of yesteryear, no question about it. great to have you with us in the discussion tonight. we are going to have more ahead on the real impact of the

shutdown. plus, megyn kelly debuts her new show. declaring she is really different from the other shows over there. but those who sit under glass desks shouldn't throw rocks. "pretenders" is next. i'm a careful investor. when you do what i do, you think about risk. i don't like the ups and downs of the market, but i can't just sit on my cash. i want to be prepared for the long haul. ishares minimum volatility etfs. investments designed for a smoother ride. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus, which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal.

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sense of the news cycle. >> it's great to be with you. congratulations on your new show, fox news is lucky to have you. i am honored to have the chance to join you on your very first show. >> he'll probably be on every night. the guest she needed must have canceled. that's the only thing we could think of. because she reminds us of another premiere. glenn beck and his first special guest. >> glenn, thank you so much for letting me be here. i am hoping nothing but the best for you and this show. i think good things are in store for you and america. >> for america, yeah. megan kelly isn't flipping the script, is she? just a remake. and the casting isn't b great. if she believes she's doing things differently, she can keep on pretending. ooh, homemade soup! yeah...

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. welcome back to "the ed sho show". we always finish with the story for the folks who take showers after work. real americans. we say on this program we want to hear from you and we mean it. i mean, how are your lives out there in tv land being effected by this government shutdown? when i say we want to hear from you, we mean it. this man took us up on it. he tweeted this program last week. his name is james macdonald. he sent us this tweet. he said i'm furloughed and will happily remain that way because health care for all is that

important. so our team reached out to james macdonald, and it turns out that he's a lawyer for the social security administration who has a pre-existing health condition. by keeping a low paying job, he qualifies for patient assistance. his circumstance is a perfect example of how broken the system was. james says the affordable care act is not a perfect solution, but it's better than the old one. and he joins us tonight. james macdonald here on "the ed show." good to have you with us. first of all, thanks for tweeting. thanks for saying what you said. and i'm honored to have you with us because you're a regular guy that's got, you know, an issue that is going to be effected by this affordable care act. tell us your story, james. >> thanks for having me, ed. you know, now that i work for the government, i do have insurance, but for many years i didn't have insurance and i had to stay poor. i have crohn's disease. i was diagnosed at 16.

up until i was 24 or 25, i was still covered under my parents' health care. after that point for several years, even through law school i didn't have health insurance. and my crohn's disease was really bad. in order to get the medication i needed which was about $15,000 every two months, i had to stay poor. so i could qualify for the patient assistance program. and like i said, that's a broken system. you know, to force people to stay poor so they can get their health care is just ludicrous to me. >> so your situation now is you're all about obama care. this changes your dynamic tremendously. >> it does. because i feel for the people that have pre-existing conditions that had to use e.r.s as their primary care physicians or stay poor to get health care. i'm glad that now they'll be able to get these things under control. >> since you've been called back to work as an essential employee, when do you start and are you happy about going back?

>> i start tomorrow, and i'm very happy to go back. i'm a dedicated public servant. i love working for the government. i love serving the people. you know, i don't make a lot of money as an attorney for social security administration. i'd make a lot more in private practice, but like i said i love serving this country. >> why do you think the republicans went this far to shut down the government over obama care? when someone such as yourself is so directly affected. >> the only thing i can think of is they're really scared that people are going to like it. i saw a demographic today on the internet that showed that the majority of people who are poor who qualify for these things are primarily in republican states. and i think they're really, really scared. >> so if the democrats did not hold the line, and let's just say for conversation here, let's say the democrats caved in, gave the republicans what they wanted, they got to chip away at obama care, the affordable care

act. what would you have said to boehner? >> i would have called him shameful. i really think this is a right that everyone should have. republicans are so all about life. well, in order to have life, you've got to be healthy and to stay healthy you need health care. to me it's a logical conclusion. >> how'd your family members respond to this news? >> my parents were really upset. they said they would help me out, but my father's retired from general motors. my mom's still working in a hospital and they just had a new contract go into effect. you know, it just seems like all the corporations are really picking on the small people. they would help me as much as they could, but they're pretty strapped too. it's just not a healthy situation. i'm living in anxiety and fear. this has been going on since they've been dealing with the debt issue and the budget issue. >> what do you make of all the republican rhetoric about you can't see your doctor and death