MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: Wisconsin Economy

Interview

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Joining me tonight is our Rapid Response panel. We`ve got Wisconsin`s State Senator. Lena Taylor is with us tonight, and also Congressman Mark Pocan, great to have both of you with us tonight.

From the Badger State, State Senator, you first Lena. How can Walker claim progress on the economy and job creation when data proves absolutely the opposite?

STATE SEN. LENA TAYLOR, (D) WISCONSIN: Well Ed, the fact have never matter to them about telling the truth or dealing with the actual factual situation that we`re in the State of Wisconsin. You know, if he continues to say a message whether that is true or false, he believes that he can, you know, lower (ph) the voters I guess in low tax payers and to believing that whatever it is that he says is true.

The fact show everything to be different especially when you look at the unemployment numbers in my city, among African-Americans in particular, 55 percent of African-American men are unemployed. Why is that not the special session item that we`re doing?

SCHULTZ: What kind of things, Lena, are they doing? What is Wisconsin doing, because if you were to compare Wisconsin`s record with what more data (ph) and the Democrats are doing in Minnesota, it`s only a border, I mean, it`s two totally different worlds. I mean, the economy is booming in Minnesota whereas Wisconsin is struggling. What do you make of that?

TAYLOR: You`re exactly right. It`s because we`re spending our time all of these, you know, extreme policies that really have nothing to do with what matters to individuals which is making sure that he keeps his promise the he said, 250,00 jobs. At least three-fourths of Wisconsinites are very concerned about the fact that he has not kept that promise. Instead, we`ve been doing things like voter I.D. legislation, you know, racist mascot legislation.

We`ve been doing things to address issues that are not frankly the concern and I can`t tell you why. We`re doing things like tweaking away at people`s voting rights with changing so many election laws. And I know, in the end, 54 percent of individuals say maybe that they still -- that was confidence on the right track, but it`s because they don`t know that Walker has also deviated from the facts when he tells us that we`ve balanced our budget.

Mark Pocan is someone who was a former coach here of our finance committee. He could speak about how the governor has taken our daily, you know, finances. He put that on the credit card, so to say, and then said that he`s balanced the budget. He`s not done that. It cost us at least with $91 million in interest .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

TAYLOR: . while giving people something he calls tax, you know, credit that`s about $50 something. I mean, it really is .

SCHULTZ: Sure.

TAYLOR: . shameful. We should be dealing with jobs all around. What are we going to do to change the plight of our start ups and change the plight of businesses especially among African-Americans because we .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

TAYLOR: . are the population that is in the most unemployed.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, if Wisconsin`s ranked 35th out of 50 states in the private sector growth, why does Scott Walker still have a side set on the White House? What is this all about?

REP. MARK POCAN, (D) WISCONSIN: Well Ed, I think this is where it could back fire on him. People in Wisconsin are extremely hard working. We have a great work ethic and we expect that of others. And Scott Walker is working really hard at running for president, but he`s not working so hard at creating jobs in Wisconsin. And I think that`s going to back fire.

I think people are going to say, "If you really want to president, fine. Go ahead, run for president, good luck, but we want someone to work hard for Wisconsin." And when you`ve got a state like in Minnesota, that was a great comparison. There`s probably no state more demographically similar. And they`re succeeding and we`re failing, it`s because our governors got his eyes on the White House and not on the State of Wisconsin."

SCHULTZ: Well, I mean, it`s not like .

TAYLOR: And Ed .

SCHULTZ: . Minnesota`s, all the other side of the country, but the fact is, is you`re the same in region. You`re competing for the same businesses. It`s the same work ethic. All of the ingredients are there. But Walker`s vision for Wisconsin has totally failed and he has not been able to deliver the mail, yet, he`s running around the country, you know, saying that he should be in the Oval Office.

Senator Taylor, explain to our audience, what are the Republicans voting on that they would actually have a provision in their platform, that they would secede from the union if things got bad? What`s this all about? Who are these folks?

TAYLOR: These are the extremists. These are the extremists that are trying to run not only the GOP, but they want to try to be a part of running this nation. And so, you know, we should be really concerned. So they want to say that they would succeed in union if -- that they would succeed the union if things get bad. But they also want to say that if they don`t agree with federal policy that they don`t have to even follow federal policy, you know, something that Mark .

SCHULTZ: Yeah. It`s Bundy talk (ph).

TAYLOR: . something that Congressman Pocan said, I need you to know Ed, if that -- this is the same pattern that Walker did when he ran for county executive and then ran for governor. While he was county executive, he wasn`t doing his job. He was concerned about running for governor. While he`s governor, he`s not .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

TURNER: . doing his job, not keeping his promises, but he`s trying to run to be president of the United States. These are

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

TURNER: . you know, challenging times for Wisconsin.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, how much did the vote in the Senate not to raise the minimum wage hurt the entire effort and what do you hear back home on this issue?

REP. MARK POCAN, (D) WISCONSIN: I just think they`re completely out of step with the country. I think Democrats, Independents, Republicans all support an increase. America deserves a raise. And the fact that they don`t want to put us anywhere close to everywhere in the 1960`s even at a level, I think they`re completely wrong. All they want to do is take care of the special interest in that Paul Ryan budget, you know. Ed, you want to talk about, you know, Scott Walker.

Look at Paul Ryan`s budget as well. That budget doesn`t have a single tax, doesn`t get rid of a single tax break for special interest to reduce the deficit. But they lower the top rate to 25 percent and that means the $2,000 increase for every middle class family. That`s Scott Walker, that`s Paul Ryan, that`s the extremist into Wisconsin Republican Party who are trying to succeed from the nation and that`s what we going to be aware of.

If they take the Senate because of things like minimum wage, that agenda, that Paul Ryan agenda is what you`re going to see.

SCHULTZ: Congressman Mark Pocan, State Senator Lena Turner, great to have both of you with us tonight. Keep up the fight. Thanks so much for being on the Ed Show.

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