World what youre creating. 28 of the American People are what i would call dependent on government. Why dont you show what this president is doing to people . The Obama Administration is encouraging parasites to come out. Keep familying from falling into poverty. If thats not putting people back into chains, i dont know what is. Well, some folks just see the world differently. Dont we . Great to have you with us tonight. Thanks for watching the ed show here on msnbc. Theres some things in government, there are some things in this country, that you simply cannot separate. Farmers and food. Real basic stuff. You know that we have the absolute best farmers on the face of the earth . That we can produce more, our technology is so advanced as opposed to the rest of the world. We are the bread basket of the world. We can produce enough food to feed the world if we wanted to. Thats how good our farmers are. Thats how good our universities are. Our research, and our technology. And lets not forget the equipment that is made here in the United States. It is the bread basket. It is the key to america. It is the key to a stable society. We have seen, and history has showed us today that this is what happens when people go hungry. When you dont have agriculture at the pinnacle of society. When you dont have people producing the way they should. When you have people who are in bread lines. These are pictures from the Great Depression in america. And at that time, 1933, what we did as a country, we adopted a policy that we werent going to have these lines anymore. We made sure through the farm bill that there would be an abundance of food. That we adopted a cheap food policy that what we did as a country, we made a decision that it was going to be much easier for an american citizen to work and go to the Grocery Store and to be able to feed themselves. What a wonderful concept. Yes, the farm bill led us to this. The cheap food policy. And the one thing that we have to remember about the cheap food policy is its still there today. And it works. In part of the cheap food policy is the farm bill. Which, of course, is nutrition. Food stamps. School lunches. And Food Security for the country. Were not going to go hungry anymore. We can produce. And you know what happens when people get hungry . They follow extremists. Thats what they do. Thats what happened in germany in the 1930s. The agricultural markets collapsed. The country couldnt feed itself. And you know the rest of the story. This is important stuff. This is what the country needs to focus on. We dont ever want these days again. But what were seeing from republicans is nothing but a bunch of division, a bunch of distractions. We have seen it with their attack on the irs, and, of course, theres this big controversy with benghazi. Anything to soak up the news cycle to throw something negative on the president. But not focusing on what is so terribly important for america. Republicans dont want you to Pay Attention to the real scandal because it is a scandal that they created. Its called the hunger cliff. And make absolutely no republicans are the ones shoving folks off the edge. Why . Well, were just spending too much money. In just seven hours, thats how much is set to be automatically slashed from the federal food stamp program. The s. N. A. P. Program received a temporary boost under the 2009 recovery act. That increase expires at midnight tonight. House republicans are basically nowhere to be found on this crisis. Theyre off until november 12th. They dont care about the poor. If republicans had their way, in fact, they would go so far as to slash another 40 billion out of the food stamp program. When these automatic cuts are impleme implemented, benefits will fall for 47 million lower income americans. Thats a big number. This is going to hit a lot of kitchen tables in america. Like, 14 of all u. S. Households. And the worst part, republicans see these cuts as a political win against societys takers. You look at china, they dont have food stamps. If you look at china, theyre in a very different they save for their own retirement security. They dont have afcc. They dont have the modern welfare state. And chinas growing. This bill is designed to give people a hand when they need it most. And most people dont choose to be on food stamps. Most people want a job. And if others, and there may be some, that choose to abuse this system. Thats not out of the realm of possibility. Frankly, its wrong for hardworking middle class americans to pay for that. And my motivation has only been to introduce the blessing of work to abled bodied people. What we have done in this country is wrong. We have we have failed in introducing the blessing of work to abled bodied people who have the ability, who are mentally, physically, psychologically able to work, and with have robbed them of knowing a better life that they help create for themselves and their families. Think about that. Nearly every state in america, people are getting food stamps who are abled bodied citizens, not elderly, without children, abled bodied adults who dont have to be required to either look for work or be in a position where theyre getting trained to be prepared for work. I looked at second thessalonians 3 10, for even when we were with you, we gave you this rule. The one who is im willing to work, not eat. Always good to throw in a little faith, isnt it . So the republicans can justify their position. Because theyre so concerned that the average s. N. A. P. Recipient receives about 133 a month in benefits. Lets break that down. Its a little more than 4 a day. Break it down again. Its 1. 40 per meal. In order to qualify for food stamps, an individual has to make less than 15,000 a year. And this is the focus of the Republican Party and all of those politicians you just saw talk . This is their focus . This is what the conservatives are all about . They are heartless. When republican members of congress are yanking home 174,000 a year, with benefits, pension and health care, those folks, they say on food stamps are getting too much . These cuts are going to leave millions of americans hungry, and potentially do some serious damage to our economy. Economists have found out that, and projected that every dollar of s. N. A. P. Spending generates 1. 70 in the local economy and the Economic Activity in america. This will hurt the revenue of 250,000 Grocery Stores and supermarkets across the country that accept s. N. A. P. Payments. Its a domino effect. Once again, House Republicans dont care about Small Businessowners, either. Theres a lot of small grocers out there that certainly work with the food stamp program. And you know what . This is a scandal. No, its not the irs. Its not benghazi. And its not people losing their health care with these notices that are coming in. This is the scandal. This is the most kicking the least right in the teeth for no reason at all other than unmitigated greed. Go back to ted kennedy on the senate floor in 2007. When does the greed stop . Ill answer you tonight. Never. They are concerned. These people of faith are concerned about people who make less than 15,000 a year. Theyre the problem. Theyre able bodied, theyre fat, sitting on the couch. They ought to get off their ass and go work. No, that is not the case. Less than 1 of fraud is found in the food stamp program. Get your cell phones out. I want to know what you think. Tonights question. Do you think these Food Stamp Cuts are cruel . Or necessary . Text a for cruel, text b for necessary to 67622. You can cause go to our blog at ed. Msnbc. Com and leave a comment. Well bring you the results later on in the show. Joining me tonight is a man i really admire. He has been very successful in the food industry. Hes a fabulous chef. Hes famous. Hes a food activist. Tom colicio. Thanks for being on the ed show tonight. I appreciate it. Food is your life. I look at all the Different Things you have been involved in. You and your family are so terribly unselfish. It takes americans like you to bring attention to this story. You participated in a documentary called at a place at the table which addresses the issue of Food Insecurity in america. Lets take a look, please. Meal assistance programs in United States are very hard to qualify for. Its like either starving or dont get any help. What defines starving . If you dont eat for a day, are you starving . In their eyes, no, but in your eyes and the way you feel, of course. Tom, its great to you with us. Thanks for having me, ed. This is a moral issue, isnt it . It definitely is a moral issue. The majority of people who receive food stamps have at least one member of the family working. They were working the year before they received food stamp, usually working the year after they receive food stamps. So this is a program that actually gets people on their feet. And im not quite sure why you just took 14 million children and 17 million seniors to go out and get a job. Do we want to bring back sweat shops . I dont think thats where we want america to two. What fixes this . What fixes this is good programs. We fixed it in the 60s and early 70s. The 850 80s came around. When i see this much hunger, 50 million americans struggling to feed themselves, what this tells me, its a canary in the coal mine. It shows me our democracy is failing on some level. When you have 50 million americans not able to participate in the American Dream, something has gone wrong here. And so we have to stop looking at programs like snv. N. A. P. And wic as a handout. When you have children going to school hungry, they cant learn. We all know education is the way to break that cycle of poverty and you have kids going to school hungry, they cant learn. Seniors who have to make decisions. This is going to happen tonight. After tonight, seniors have to make a decision whether buy medication or food. Kids are going to start going to school hungrier than they are now. This is a breakdown of not just a social safety network, but a breakdown of our social fiber. Where is the disconnect from what you can see . We have a Political Part that wants to cut if they could 40 billion out of this. Tonight, as you said, its going to be 5 billion. This, of course, was a supplemental part of the stimulus package from 2009. Their proposal is to gut this program. You see it, you know, on the ground, with all the Community Work that you do. What would 40 billion do . Well, 40 billion cut, what the house is suggesting. The senate is looking at a 4 billion cut. They just went to conference now. What im hearing is which is actually the best thing is to not have a farm bill and just to do really . A cr because the cuts wont take place. Continuing resolution. So basically the last farm bill wasnt all that bad and Commodity Prices have been very good. Farmers have done very well. Lets just continue on. You asked the question why. Its an easy target. You know, they know that people of low income dont get out there and vote for whatever reason. Its starting to change. Theyre starting to vote. When you have people that were middle income now actually sort of struggling with poverty, theyll change. The first person who loses an election over a vote to cut s. N. A. , things will change. A vote to cut s. N. A. P. In gerrymandered districts were our political system is starting to get rigged. You showed the hypocrisy. 3. 2 million from the same farm bill that includes nutrition programs. So he wants to cut nutrition programs but yet still wants farm subsidy money for his family. 3. 2 million. Thats hypocrisy. When people see the hypocrisy, thats when they vote them out. Tom colicchio, great to meet you and have you on the program mind wife and i have admired your work for a long time. Thanks. I appreciate it. Thanks for the work you do. Youre a guy whos had so much success. You could go home and eat dinner and not worry about this stuff. Sure. You have taken it upon yourself to be active in this community and nationally. I commend you for it. Thank you. I appreciate it very much. Remember to answer tonights question there at the bottom of the screen. Share your thoughts on twitter edshow and facebook. Wont to know what you think. Coming up, Michele Bachmanns land of make believe. Plus, conservatives are protecting garbage insurance plans like a bunch of junkyard dogs. Stay with us. Thrusters at 30 i cant get her to warp. Losing thrusters. I need more power. 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Weve added cuttingedge technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a stateoftheart monitoring center, where experts watch over all drilling activity twentyfourseven. And were sharing what weve learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. Our commitment has never been stronger. At a ford dealer with a little q and a for fiona. Tell me fiona, whos having a big tire event . Your ford dealer. Who has 11 major brands to choose from . Your ford dealer. Whos offering a rebate . Your ford dealer. Who has the low price tire guarantee, affording peace of mind to anyone who might be in the market for a new set of tires . Your ford dealer. Im beginning to sense a pattern. Get up to 140 in mailin rebates when you buy four select tires with the Ford Service Credit card. Whered you get that sweater vest . Your ford dealer. Time now for the trenders in the social media. This is where you can find us. The ed team. Facebook. Com edshow. Twitter. Com edshow. Ed. Msnbc. Com. This is where you can find me on the radio. Monday through friday, noon to 3 00, sirius xm channel 127. And great liberal talk radio stations around the country. The ed show media team, the nation, you have decided, and we are reporting. Here are todays top trenders voted on by you. Three words. Fabulous. The number three trender. Healthy imagination. What i want is the finest possible health care for america that we can have. Michele bachmanle bachmann h fabulous fantasy. We had Fabulous Health care and i think we can again. A lot of people didnt have Fabulous Health care. There were millions of people who had no health care. It should be voluntary. If there are people without health insurance, we get that. Get it, got it, good. The number two trender, billowing. What would jesus do . You have an interesting theory as to why he was crucified. Some people might be thinking youre doing this as some kind of publicity stunt. Its absolute fact. Bill oreilly thinks jesus was a perfect fit for the tea party. He interrupted the tax money flow. Tide goes in, tide goes out. In the temple, when he saw the tax collectors dragging the money out of the poor people and overturn their table. And once he did that, his fate was sealed. I dont know what that means. And todays top trender, cheap talk. I cant use the s word. Oh they have crappy insurance. Were going to be getting rid of junk insurance plans that havent delivered anything for the American People. Conservatives wont trash junk insurance. You can keep the plan that you have and like, but theres a but in our health care right now . Theres a but in the system . Thats a big but. The community is welcoming the destruction of what are called, you know, the skinny plans. You find something goes wrong so you pick an enemy and you demonize somebody else. In this case, its the insurance companies. This just kills the market. We chose those policies and yet the president says you didnt choose well. What else would you expect from the Republican Party but a bunch of damn junk . Too much junk too much junk joining us tonight, congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of illinois. Congresswoman, great to have you with us tonight. This has really been an amazing week the way this story has unfolded. The republicans have exposed themselves as the party that will certainly defend corporations but also defend policies and lay it on the president as a liar. Totally put, casting aside the standards that have been placed to protect consumers, to elevate and upgrade Insurance Coverage and health care in this country. I mean, this it is almost amazing how they have handled this. Your thoughts on do you find it amazing that republicans are defending junk insurance policies . Well, and you heard Michele Bachmann say we had a Fabulous Health care system before insurance. You know, the number one cause of personal bankruptcies is health care. And the Health Care Bills that people have racked up. Most of those people are insured. And thats because they ended up with policies that dont have the consumer protections. That dont have a limit on out of pocket costs. That dont protections against canceling those policies if you get sick. Or cover preexisting conditions. Or have a cap on lifetime expenditures. Congresswoman, is it possible that your colleagues over on the other side of the aisle didnt know about these standards . Well, you know, they first went after the website. I think they figured out now that that is going to be fixed. And so they wanted to go after these plans that were that had been so bad. But i have to tell you, ed, it is frustrating right now, even for people who helped write and support obama care, what id like to tell those people when they get those letters is you can go on the website and you can find something that will be better for you. Far better. That will actually provide you more coverage, better coverage. And possibly even at a lower rate than you were paying before. And certainly limiting the out of pocket cost. About 6,500 is all that you have to spend on these new out of pocket when you get these new policies. I hope the republicans dont give up on obama care. I hope they keep making fools of themselves. On the other hand, are democrats prepared to focus on health care between now and the midterms and not let this go . I mean, i think this is a turning point. People get quality. Americans get fairness. Americans get quality. Americans get a lower rate. And that is what is happening with obama care. Well, its estimated that about 60 of the people that sign up for obama care may be partly medicaid as well as a private plan. 60 will pay 100 or less, and if youre talking about the 18yearold to 34yearold, its estimated that about 50 of them will pay 50 or less. How do you there are some good buys. How do you think this will effect campaigns in 2014 . I think its going to matter how the website gets fixed and how it goes after january 1st. And so all of us are really encouraging, trying to be helpful in figuring out how to make this work. You know, and thats what we really need from the republicans. Whats the buzz within the caucus about the way the media is spinning this . Well, look, i have to tell you, you know, that members, democratic members are frustrated, too. Partly frustrated because all the real benefits, i mean, just think of it, ed. The end of preexisting condition exclusions. The end of gender ratings so that its not a preexisting condition to be a woman. You know, all of these seem to have gotten lost in all of these republican attacks. So, you know, the democrats are holding firm, of course, in supporting obama care, but very frustrated by these attacks, and frankly, frustrated by the rocky rollout thats been there. Its a keep on trucking moment. Theres no question about it. Theres no question. I mean, i hope they keep trying to defend this and take apart this part of the bill because it really rips a scab off what the republicans are all about. They clearly favor the corporations. They are not doing and acting with the consumers in mind. And, you know, the party that always talks about freedom and competition, thats what this is about as well. Of course, it is. The freedom the freedom to be able to cover yourself and your family, know that youre going to be able to get insurance for that child with a disability, for your wife who has cancer. You know about that. You know, thats freedom. That is real freedom. It is. And they want to take that they want to take that away. I said to them in committee, after 3 1 2 years of a Concerted Campaign to defund, to derail, to repeal obama care, get over it. Help us. They cant. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. Good to have you on the ed show. Appreciate your time tonight. Coming up, scott walkers new book and the thin red line between fact and fiction. Plus the original bad seed of the cruz teds father goes on a racist rant against the president. But next, im taking your questions. Ask ed live is just ahead. Stay with us. As a business owner, im constantly putting out fires. So i deserve a Small Business credit card with amazing rewards. With the spark cash card from capital one, i get 2 cash back on every purchase, every day. I break my back around here. Finally someones recognizing me with unlimited rewards meetings start at 11, cindy. [ male announcer ] get the spark Business Card from capital one. 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And that is that we leave this country a heck of a lot better off than the country we grew up in. And i think that is a pretty good goal for all of us to have as parents. Stick around. Rapid Response Panel is next. Im scott cohn with your cnbc market wrap. Stocks down across the board. Dow lost 73. S p fell 6. Nasdaq dropped 10. Number of americans filing claims for Unemployment Benefits fell to 340,000. Average rate for a 30year fixed mortgage hit the lowest level since june this week, slipping to 4. 1 . Starbucks sharing reversing a drop, edges up slightly despite slowing sales growth in asia for the fourth quarter. Thats it from cnbc. First be this worldwide. Hinking . The son picks up the check . [thinking] im still working. Hes retired. I hope hes saving. I hope he saved enough. Who matters most to you says the most about you. At massmutual were owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. 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Only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up relieving the pain quickly. Try fast, long lasting gaviscon®. Welcome back to the ed sho show. The Government Shutdown obviously has got the nation upset, on edge and its really showing up in some polling in middle of the country like wisconsin. Republican senator ron johnson, one of the most critical of president obama, his Approval Ratings have dropped to just 28 following his obstruction in washington. Wisconsin fed up with johnson. But evidence in the polls hasnt stopped their governor from aiming for the white house. Scott walker is grasping at straws for a president ial bid with a rewrite of his governing history in the state. Walkers book titled unintimidated wont be released for weeks but the reports of inaccuracies between between the pages are already flooding in and making the rounds. Walkers Signature Campaign pledge was to create 250,000 jobs in 4 years is notably absent from the story because walkers goal has fallen miserably short. Walker leaves out his aides criminal conviction in the john doe trial and shamelessly twists the outcome of his ongoing legal battle with the unionbusting law. And walkers most glaring coverup is his most serious. He chronicles the protests against his unionbusting policies claiming he never considered infiltrating troublemakers amongst the peaceful demonstrators in madison. This tape tells a very different story. What we were thinking about the crowds was planting some troublemakers. You know, the only problem with because we thought about that. My only fear would be if there was a ruckus caused is that that could scare the public into thinking maybe the governors got to settle to avoid all these problems. Well, in the interview, walker thought he was speaking to david koch and revealed his true feelings about causing a dangerous situation for protestsers. Scott walker isnt surprising anyone with the coverups in his book. The wisconsin governor is just starting his campaign of denial a little bit early. Joining me on our rapid Response Panel, ruth coniff, Political Editor of the progressive magazine and john ni kprr nichols of the nation magazine. Ruth, johnson just got elected. Hes at 28 . Whats going on here . Well, johnson was elected in that landslide year. You know, 2010, and it was a backlash against obama. And he defeated russ feingold, our senator from wisconsin who, you know, may not be done being senator from wisconsin. Well see what happens. But ron johnson has been virtually invisible since he got to washington, d. C. Hes done basically nothing. Hes an ayn rand fan. He ran on a probusiness flat form. He stirred up the tea party base. I dont think many people are expecting him to be a leader in wisconsin politics for very long. John nichols, how does johnson recover . Hes been critical, out on the talking heads about benghazi, about the irs, about obama care. How is he going to recover . I mean, it took him all of 34 months to get to 28 . Im not sure he can recover, ed. If you look at polls from states across the country, he has one of the lowest Approval Ratings of any senator, democrat or republican. And the important thing to understand in this is that they also polled on the new senator from wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin. Now, they have taken almost opposite positions, virtually opposite positions on every major issue, and while ron johnson is at 28 , Tammy Baldwin is at 47 . So i think the takeaway from this is if ron johnson wants to recover, he should change his positions on the issues. So johnson has been antiobama, scott walker also has been antiobama care, bigtime. Hes up for reelection in 2014 and holds just a twopoint lead against his democratic challenger, mary burke. Now, i know a little bit about your state. Ive spent a little bit of time in wisconsin, but i dont know mary burke. How does she get within two points in the first polling . Ruth . I know mary burke. Ive spent a lot of time about her. A lot of wisconsinites dont know her. I think what the poll numbers show not so much the strength of mary burke who has yet to get her campaign under way but just that the state is not particularly pleased with scott walker. Really its not going to get a whole lot better from here if people get to know and like her. So, you know, this is really, this is scott walker versus anybody is really what this poll is showing. John, what does this mean . I mean, youve got a senator and a governor not polling very well. I mean, walker should be up, an incumbent. I mean, if hes the media darling of the state, and he, of course, is the media, also the darling of the Republican Party the way hes been going all over the country. Is this shutdown politics having an impact in the heartland . Theres no question the shutdown has had an impact, ed. In fact, only about 19 of wisconsinites, ruffly 1 in 5 thought it was a good idea according to the recent polling. That is a factor. I think you also have take in some of the reality is scott walker has now been governor for quite a while. Hes had a relatively tame period of time after the recall election to show his stuff. And instead of creating a lot of job, instead of achieving a lot in wisconsin, hes ended upd heading all over the country. Hell be in virginia this weekend campaigning for Ken Cuccinelli perfect. A very right wing republican candidate for governor. Perfect. I think his problem is the wisconsinites are really getting on to him. Its notable if that poll you mentioned mary burke, the announced candidate, a democrat, got 45 . Kathleen vinhaut, a state senator who hasnt said shes going to run for governor, might get into the primary, got 44 . What you see is wisconsinites are clearly looking for an alternative, and my sense is that if scott walker keeps running around the country, campaigning for president , somebody might be able to spend some time in wisconsin and beat him. He clearly wants to be president of the United States. Wants the nomination. In his book, walker made a point of trashing romneys campaign strategy. He says that romney did a lousy job of presenting a positive vision of freemarket solutions to our nations problem in a way that is relevant to peoples lives. Ruth, what do you think . Do you think walker has laid out solutions . Well, maybe he presents them with a smile on his face and it sounds positive, but the reality in wisconsin is, we lag all of our neighboring states in job creation. Our economy is suffering while the economies around us are recovering. You know, we hes made this promise that he hasnt made good on. And hes been the most divisive governor in state history by attacking schoolteachers and Public Employees who are popular with the public and really stirring up a lot of anger and resentme resentment, and his promise to people has not been come with me and let me show you how im going to do things so things are better for you. Instead what he has said is look at these Public Employees, they have health care benefits, they have a pension fund, and yet the strapped private Sector Workers who dont have this, you dont have that, so why should they have it . Its a race to the bottom. It says nobody should have good benefits. Hes contracted health insurance, contracted badger care which is the lowincome Health Care Program here that our republican governor Tommy Thompson was very proud of. He turned away federal money for big train, highspeed rail that would have connected us to other urban centers. He refused like other republican governors to expand medicaid. We have more people who are struggli struggling. Fewer people with jobs. We have less health care. John, what are the numbers . And well give them the recall. Okay . Because he was saying that, you know, the economy in wisconsin was stagnant because of the recall. And then after the recall, he said things were going to pick up. Have they . I dont know the numbers. What are they . They have not picked up particularly much. The numbers are varying, of course. Wisconsin, as ruth mentioned, continues to lag behind neighboring states. Thats really your test. Yeah. How does wisconsin compare to a state like minnesota . What did he do to badger care . What did he do to what did he do to badger care . Well, badger care is a really significant issue. The governor refused to buy into the expansion of medicare, and hes also been tinkering with these things in a way that actually throws tens of thousands of people off programs that are working and forces them to go find insurance in other places. This is a hugely problematic thing in wisconsin because the governor hasnt created jobs. Yet he is making access to health care harder. If you understand rural wisconsin, especially, thats a very, very tough circumstance. And i think thats one of the reasons why when people get to talk about the governor, its not just these pairings for a Gubernatorial Race in 2014. The polling thats come out is also looked at him as a potential president ial candidate. And thats where you bring the federal issues in. Things like obama care. Things like health care. Whats notable on that is that roughly 60 of wisconsinites in a pairing with walker versus Hillary Clinton say they would not be inclined to back scott walker for president. He gets beat very, very badly. Its going to be interesting. You have kasich in ohio. You have snyder in michigan. Youve got scott down in until physical. All of these governors including walker have been awfully tough on wage earners and labor. Its going to be interesting to see how it plays out in the midterm if it has any effect at all in november. The new nbc news wall street journal poll shows the publics view of the Republican Party has reached another alltime low in the survey with 22 seeing the gop in a positive light. 53 viewing it negatively. And then if you look inside the numbers in wisconsin, its got to be having an effect. Ruth, how else do you read it . I think youre absolutely right. I think another issue that you might want to bring in is walkers visit to virginia which john mentioned trying to shore up cuccinelli. Remember, he was the republican governor who brought us the transv transvaginal ultrasound. Not a Popular Program with women voters. Walker here in wisconsin has done the same thing. Closed planned parenthood clinics, rolled back accurate sex ed. Very extreme antiwomens health agenda. And i think as youre looking at these female candidates who are looking at running against walker for governor, thats going to play into this election in a big way. Well, health care, shutdown politics, and polling by the republicans. I thought id check in with the middle of the country to see how things are going in wisconsin. Ruth conniff, john nichols. Great to have you with us tonight. Still ahead, the s word. Why republicans cling to their superstitions on spending. Are you flo . Yes. Is this the thing you gave my husband . Well, yeah, yes. The name your price tool. You tell us the price you want to pay, and we give you a range of options to choose from. Careful, though that kind of power can go to your head. That explains a lot. Yo, buddy i got this. Gimme one, gimme one, gimme one the power of the name your price tool. 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Start today with a free oneonone review of your Retirement Plan. I started parttime, now im a manager. N. My employer matches my charitable giving. Really. I get bonuses even working parttime. Where i work, over 400 people are promoted every day. Healthcare starting under 40 a month. I got education benefits. I work at walmart. Im a pharmacist. Sales associate. I manage produce. I work in logistics. Theres more to walmart than you think. Vo opportunity. Thats the real walmart. Welcome back to the ed show. This is the story for the folks who take a shower after work. For the first time in five years, mark it up, folks. U. S. Government has a budget deficit below 1 trillion. Thats good news. Republicans refuse to admit president obama was able to cut the deficit in half and hes not the big spender, socalled conservatives have accused him of being. President obama called out for being a big spender. The budget of bush, they were both big spenders but obama was way more of a bigger spender. Who was the bigger spender under president george bush . Hang on. Hes a big spender. And that to me is the heart and soul the argument against obama. New numbers show there was a comedy nation of more revenue and less spending leading to a gap of 680 billion. Thats billion with a b. Its the lowest level since the recession. Now a Bipartisan Group of house and Senate Negotiators are working on writing the first overall budget blueprint since 2009. It all comes down to how they decide to generate revenue. And we know the republicans have said no new taxes and the democrats have said no, youre not getting the big three. Lets sort it out. Im joined by Richard Wolffe executive editor of msnbc. Com and also tax special and Pulitzer Prize winner david johnson. What does this mean, these numbers on the heels of a huge stimulus package . What does it say . Well, the president has cut the deficit spending more than a half which puts the lie to what youre hearing republicans say. And in 2017, his last budget should be down to 2 of the economy from 10 that he inherited. We would, however, be better off if we had more deficit spending right now because were short 9 million jobs and jobs reduce demand for Government Services and increase revenues. Unless you have corporations invest a bunch of things a bunch of investment in Human Capital and create jobs to expand business, which is not their character. Its cut to the bottom line. Richard wolffe, what does this mean to the politics of all of this . This is a great number on the heels of the president having his lowest Approval Rating as weve seen in one poll as of late. But this is good. This is what the republicans have been crying about all along. Right. Which makes it harder for them to accept this reality. Theyre saying it was the obama sequester and he caused this pain. But the sequester is what brought down this budget. The hard thing for them is theyve repeated lies so often that admitting to reality, its like Election Night itself, becomes very painful. They want to say this is a budget crisis and maybe longer term when youre looking at two texas down the road, youre going to say this whole system breaks. But if youve got a president whos willing to talk about some of the changes to calculations of social security, youve got a president saying we need to make smarter cuts but also need to have some stimulus spending to get those jobs back, then youve got to have someone o on the other side thats willing to face up to what the real numbers are. Right now the Republican Party dont. Federal employees are going to get their first raise in three years coming up in january. Of course the gop play makers, they want them to pay more toward their benefits. Why dont republicans realize what a bad idea that actually is. That these federal workers who president obama was praising after the shutdown, you know, theyve really bit the bullet pretty hard here. And is it imperative that they contribute more to their retirement . Well, first of all the only source of money for the retirement is from the workers. What theyre really talking about here, ed, is reducing the cash wages that federal workers get and converting more of their total compensation into pension money. And thats a reasonable issue to discuss, but for three years to have no pay raises, to slash the staffs tremendously. Ive been talking to irs lawyer who is tell me they are being required now to put in 60 and 80hour work weeks because of the demands that are placed on them by the system, and thats not going to be sustainable. Thats really at the core problem. Government is essential to a wellrunning economy. And the big businesses in america and many Small Businesses know that and so starving the government is a dumb policy. And quickly, the word is no grand bargain in these budget talks. What are your expectations . Were going to go through one crisis after another because we have a group of people who speak as authoritatively about economics but clearly have no idea what theyre talking about. Richard wolfe, how can that not hurt the republicans . Every poll shows the americans want the big three protected. Were not going to get more revenue, it sounds like. Everything that reminds voters of the shutdown and that whole mess is bad for republicans. Theyve set this up. Were going to be talking about these same issues for many months. I think it is a bad prospect for republicans every time we talk about the budget right now. Is he going to do more on health care . He needs to do much more. He needs to explain what hes done on the budget, on health care. Sell that still today. Richard wolffe and david johnston, thank you so much. Thats the ed show. Politicsnation with