MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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Joining me tonight is Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California.

Maxine, great to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time.

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: What is your response to Herman Cain saying that African-Americans are brainwashed to vote for Democrats?

WATERS: Well, you know, I think that he has been terribly disrespectful. At the same time that he`s calling us brainwashed, then he turns around and talks about one-third to 50 percent may be in support of
him. And I think that`s ridiculous. Not only are we not brainwashed, we know how to act in our own best interest. That`s why most of us are Democrats.

Who in their right mind, African-American, would belong to a party that is as mean-spirited as we see coming out of the Republican Party.

They don`t care about poor people. They don`t care even about working class people. They don`t care about senior citizens.

Just take a look at the legislation that was unveiled today that came out of the labor, health and human services subcommittee where they`re talking about taking away the subsidy from the elderly for heating
assistance, where they`re talking about cutting the Pell grant, where they are talking about cutting public broadcasting, where they`re talking about pulling the rug out from under the most vulnerable people in our society.

Who wants to belong to a party like that? And besides, this is a party that he`s in that honors and respects a David Duke. I understand he`s going to be their revered speaker at one of their events.

So, are we brainwashed or is he brainwashed?

SCHULTZ: Is he pandering to white Republicans?

WATERS: You know that he is, and this little temporary bump in the road that he`s gotten, that`s gotten him believing that they`re going to vote for him, he really is off base. They`re not going to vote for him.

And blacks are not going to vote for him either -- not simply because he`s disrespected us so in these statements about us being brainwashed but because, again, we act in our own best interest. We know what is best for us. We all have to fight very hard to make sure that we get the most that we can get in terms of good public policy for everybody and for African-Americans.

But the Democratic Party, not only has demonstrated that it is prepared to do the kind of public policy that will benefit most of the people and certainly African-Americans.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

WATERS: And so, yes, he is pandering.

SCHULTZ: One final point. African-American unemployment is at 16.7 percent. Do you have any idea what the Republicans want to do for these Americans to get them back to work other than give tax breaks to the rich?

WATERS: They don`t want to do anything. As a matter of fact, in this same bill that I`m referring to, they just cut the job training programs for the one-stop centers. They`re cutting jobs, as they make cuts
throughout this budget, which means that they are undermining our economy.

People don`t have jobs. They can`t invest in the economy. They can`t spend money. They don`t want to do anything about the 16.7 unemployment. And I don`t expect them do.

That`s why blacks are not voting for the Republicans and certainly not going to vote for him.

SCHULTZ: Congresswoman Maxine Waters, thanks for your time tonight. Appreciate it so much.

Now, let`s turn to Joe Watkins, MSNBC political analyst and Republican political strategist; and Dr. James Peterson, director of Africana studies and associate professor of English at Lehigh University.

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