MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: Minimum Wage and Employment

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

SCHULTZ: Congressman, isn`t the issue here as far as voters are concerned, do voters who do not make minimum wage who are doing well, do those people in Wisconsin care about those who are on minimum wage? I mean that`s really what it boils down to. There`s not enough minimum wage workers to make a difference in this issue and in election, but are there enough people that care about it?

GOV. MARK POCAN, (D) WISCONSIN: You know, people in Wisconsin are hard working but were also very kind hearted and there is vast support for raising a minimum wage. We know that that helps people who are just get by $15,000 a year. The real challenge here is the governor decided that rather than trying to stand up to this image he has for being a tool of the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson, he could have done something right for his constituents, for people of Wisconsin.

And instead he decided to side with the people that he wants to fund his presidential campaign and make a stand against the minimum wage increase. It`s a possible to get by $15,000 a year. We have those people who are also getting subsidize health care that all of the tax payers pay for that the governor knows. It`s part of our state programs and yet he is choosing to side with the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson rather than people of Wisconsin. And I don`t think that`s going to so well on November 4th.

SCHULTZ: Ruth, you saw the story that we did earlier on North Carolina. There`s somewhat of a story very similar to that that is unfolded in Wisconsin. On Monday the Appeals Court upheld the Wisconsin stricter voter I.D. law. What does this mean for voters, just weeks out 25 days, what`s the response?

CONNIFF: Well the response is, people need to know how to get I.D. and they need to plan on voter I.D. being in place because the United States Supreme Court could intervene but it`s unlikely. And so, we`re likely looking at voter I.D. in this coming election between Scott Walker and Mary Burke. It`s a very tight race. They`ve been neck-to-neck in the polls. It`s going to make a big difference.

There`s a lot of confusion out there because the governor was refused to allocate money. The state has refused to allocate money to get information to voters. So there are people on U.W. Campus trying to make sure students get the proper I.D. They need a new I.D. for vote now and this emptying out in the community.

You know, there`s a grassroots push to get voters to the DMV to get the I.D. that they need and that, you know, getting clear information to people and getting the I.D. that they need. There`s got to be a huge focus now and in the run up to the election.

SCHULTZ: Jennifer how big of hurdle of this as you`ve see it?

EPPS-ADDISON: We`re ready to go. You know, harken back to Dr. Barber, we have been on the ground working with people, making sure they have a plan to vote since April. Folks in our community are energized, enthusing. I think what you`re going to see with Governor Walker determined that a Walker wage of $7.25 is a living wage, is that this is really has Mitt Romney moment.

This is his 47 percent moment and this is our opportunity to cease upon it and to determine what type of state we want to have. You asked the question about, do middle class families care about poor and working class families? Well, a recent study out of U.W. on the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee show that 73 percent of the folks in our state support raising the minimum wage.

About a quarter of our state workforce is living in poverty wages right now. So that`s means there`s a big group of people who know that raising the minimum wage boast our economy. There are 13 referendums across the state on a ballot that people can go out and make that determination for them self. So we`re ready to go and we think that this might just be what caused Governor Walker his reelection.

SCHULTZ: And Congressman, I can`t let you go without asking you the question, why can`t Wisconsin create jobs? Minnesota is in a positive, other states surrounding Wisconsin in the positive. What`s wrong with Wisconsin? The state can`t create jobs.

POCAN: You know it`s not because of our people because we were extremely hard working, you know, business would be smart are located here, but we have a governor who since day one of getting elected governor has been running for president. He spent a million dollars taking corporate jets to go to Iowa and South Carolina, in Iowa New Hampshire, in Iowa. If you notice the pattern.

SCHULTZ: You pin it on Walker.

POCAN: . this is a guy -- he is for president. He doesn`t.

SCHULTZ: You pit it on Walker.

POCAN: He is not been doing his job as governor and in November 4th we should let him be a full-time candidate for president and we should elect Mary Burke to be our full-time governor. That`s -- it`s really as simple as it is.

SCHULTZ: Jennifer Epps-Addison, Congressman Mark Pocan, Ruth Conniff, always good to have you with us. I appreciate your time tonight. Keep up the fight.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source