0 enormous face in nationalism even the karzai brand. that is "hardball" for now. "the ed show" with ed shultz starts right now. >> an american woman faces racist taunts and rap threats for exercising her first amendment rights. >> i don't honestly want you to tell me i needed a gun to prevent my rap. >> conservative backlash against women turns ugly. she joins me tonight. paul ryan's new plan. >> you would repeal, you assume the repeal of obama care? >> yes. >> chris van holland on republicans running out the clock. republican economic policy is lowering life expectancy. jeb bush thinks his big brother is getting a bad wrap. the big panel takes a swing at the bush baggage. >> now watch this drive. a republican congressman avoids being kicked in the head. tiger is back on the prowl. i'll show you how asteroids might hold the key to the meaning of life. >> never said much about the meaning of life so far, have they? good to have you with us tonight. thanks for watching. this vile hateful language behind me was directed at a rape victim. a racial slur and two threats of death and racial violence. it was not an isolated incidence or message. zerlin, said this. >> the entire conversation is wrong. i don't want men to be telling me what to wear, how to act, not to drink and no honestly want you to tell me that i needed a gun in order to prevent my rape. >> so those comments caused death threats and racists attacks? here is why. zerlina maxwell was invited on fox news to talk about women arming themselves with guns to prevent rape. maxwell was asked to discuss a recent column she wrote for "ebony" magazine about sexuality assault. she wrote telling women they can behave in a certain way they can prevent rape creates the false insecurity. maxwell was not promoting gun proposals on fox news but talking about shifting the burden away from the victims. it was surprising when conservative web sites like the blaze ran the story with the headline democratic strategist shocking claim that women don't need gun for self-defense. just tell men not to rape women. the coverage opened up the flood gates. a barrage of hateful comments to maxwell on social media as people marched outside the statehouse, republican lawmakers yucked it up inside. >> transv word! transv this and transv that! and they hate women and we're the -- in that bill, she killed -- go far enough? she is crazy! >> you also had pennsylvania governor tom corbett who said women shouldn't worry about mandatory ultrasounds because they don't have to look at them. >> i don't know how you make anybody watch, okay? because you just have to close your eyes. >> the republican party has a problem with women. it has spread like a virus through the party's politicians. through the conservative media and through the followers who consume these messages. house speaker john boehner gave an fluff to "roll call" saying the following. when your message prompts death threats and racial attacks, the problem goes, i think, a heck of a lot deeper than just communication. the problem is all about policies. get your cell phones out. tonight's question will republicans ever listen to women on women's issues? text a for yes and b for no. you can always go to our blog and we will bring you the results later on in the show. i'm joined tonight by zerlina maxwell. also with us this evening is editor and publisher of "the nation" magazine. good to have you both with us. what what happened since your appearance on television, zerlina? >> it started with a contentious debate. >> not unusual anywhere. >> right. it's a debate and you stick out your opinions. i think what is different is the intersection between guns and rape and a problem of rape culture in america. i actually don't view and what i was trying to say in the segment. i don't view rape culture as a partisan issue. rape happens to republicans, as well as democrats. >> your point is that women shouldn't have to be armed? i don't think women should have to get a gun or should not have to wear skirts or heels and shouldn't have to do anything to prevent rape from happening to them. i think we should refocus like a laser on the perpetrators of the rape. i think the problem is that because we always ask women, well, what do you do to bring about the attack? a lot of women are too afraid to come forward. that is the reason i went on hannity and in that forum because the biggest platform. i've been writing about this for years, i'm also a survivor and i took it on my shoulders. i was speaking for millions of american women who have survived rape and make sure that everyone knows it's not their fault. >> okay. point being here is that hanity treated you respectfully in the conversation. >> right. >> it's what happened afterwards that happened in the interpretation. has law enforcement gotten involved in this. >> i am exploring the possible options. unfortunately, there is not a lot that can be done that i'm aware of but i'm a law student so i know a lot of lawyers. >> isn't this -- we're at a point of trying to make change. you were just trying to change the conversation. >> right. >> that it's about behavior and it's not about firearms. they are trying to make the case and the people who were attacking you is that you're trying to suppress some kind of gun ownership out there. >> right. that is not really the issue. i was trying to move away from that conversation. i think we get stuck too often in asking what women should or could have done to prevent rape and instead we need to educate and train men to not rape in the first place. >> katrina, this overreaction to what a woman says about gun violence in america and protection after speaking her mind is just amazing. i want to play a comment from republican strategist steve schmitt and get your response to this. >> i think in any organization where women are toe not at the table, where a male that is an organization that is going to have problems. one of the problems we have structurally in the party. any company, any organization in today's day he and age that doesn't give equal opportunity to women, it doesn't advance women to the table is going to be an organization that has difficulty competing. >> which would bring some conservatives to the conclusion is there a creation of a subculture here that women don't matter. >> good for steve schmitt for speaking out. i think the republican party believes that it can just kind of do some rebranding. it is very male, pale, and stale, i've said that before but it is this republican party and it's shown very real contempt for women and control over their bodies, control over their lives and what is lost in this discussion, ed, is the fact that 70% of women are in the work force. 60% of women in the work force have kids under 3 and the republican party is opposed to virtually every possible to lead those women to lead productive, healthy lives. whether it's paid sick leave or minimum wage or protection of discrimination of equal pay or they were opposed to something that is bipartisan for many women in this country. leading women's act. this is a party out of change with the changing dynamics of the country where women we need more reform and more progress to have women really at the table and to change the table. >> do you think these out of touch policies that the republicans have lead to such over the top behavior in situations like this? >> listen. we came out of an election which, by the way, the republicans don't seem to think it matters, where we heard, and you saw some of them. people like a man running for senator in missouri talking about rape as -- there is a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate. this political cultures attack people like zerlina. fox is a mirror of the problems the republican party is facing and you see it in the public trust, the ratings, the audience that they are losing. >> when a woman speaks up and says it's about behavior and you can teach men not to rape, you become attacked. i think parallel a lot of the policies they have. they attack women in their policies. >> they don't have a message so they attack. >> one of the underlying things here too is that it illustrates, you know, what i was talking about, right? so i am speaking from millions of survivors out there and i'm saying that there is a problem of rape culture and attacks on women and then i'm attacked. i think it illustrates that we do have a problem. we need to talk to young men about respect, bodily autonomy and talk to them about bistandard intervention. there are organizations already doing this that i cited in the interview. they are already doing this work. i didn't make this up. i'm not the only one saying it. i just was in the biggest forum making that point. >> so much of the root of it is the basic right of women to control their own bodies and their access to health care. we need an empathetic and gauged government, not one in our bedrooms and transvaginal ultrasound and governors and states say get the government off your back. they want it on your back in these areas. it's a really difficult picture, ed. i think the republican party has a lot of rethinking to do. again, kudos to steve schmitt and a very few of them in the party who understand it's not reboot, rebrand and it's a fundamental problem of having too many men running the show. they need to bring in some -- >> has it made you take a step back and not be as aggressive verbally? is that a hard position to think now? >> i'm certainly taking steps to protect my emotional health but i will not be quiet. the whole entire point of why i went on fox to talk about this issue that i am so passionate about is so many women are afraid to talk about it and that is because they are blamed and shamed into silence and i refuse, i refuse to be silent. >> it's very important. this is a week where sheryl sandburg now coo of facebook is writing a book about lean-in. got a lot of issues for the book. but for women to speak their mind and speak with security and confidence about their safety and what is on their mind is critical to this country. it's been one of the great promises of this country and to see republicans that -- to see the right wing, to be honest, the right wing media and blogosphere is a microcosm of a larger problem. >> they have become a vehicle. >> they are vessels. >> everybody monitoring that stuff that they understand the decency of it all. >> is there a level of economic security is -- nra plays on fear. they say they want to take your guns away. no, they don't. >> they want you armed. that is how you're supposed to stop rape if you're armed. they were talking about statistics out there. if women are armed, this they less apt to get raped? >> it's a ridiculous solution because it doesn't prevent rape. the most rapes happen with someone you trust and know and you're dating and married to. i've gotten a lot of conservatives that say i don't agree with you on anything but you're right about this. and that is why i'm so passionate and i want to keep raising my voice. >> great to have you both bus. remember to answer tonight's question there at the bottom of the screen. share your thoughts with us on twitter and on facebook. we want to know what you think. republicans continue to run out the clock. paul ryan's new plan is so unrealistic even fox news hosts can't see right through it. ♪ [ female announcer ] almost nothing can dampen a baby's mood, when he wakes up dry in pampers. unlike other diapers, pampers has 3 absorbent layers, for up to 12 hours of protection overnight, and more beautiful mornings. ♪ pampers. peaceful nights. playful days.