>>> we begin with a dramatic election day as voters have their say in six states deciding among other things whether wisconsin will become the third state in history to ever recall a governor. and if some members of congress should get a one-way ticket home. from wisconsin to washington, it's all about the money and the message. just moments ago the paycheck fairness act was shot down in the senate 52-47. democrats did not get the votes in an issue pushed by the president.
>>> and in the presidential race last night found former president bill clinton warning that a romney presidency would be calamitous for the country combining with the current president to deal some body blows to republicans at a new york fund-raiser last night.
>> there's no vision for the future there. there's no imagination. somebody is going to have to explain to me how repealing obama care and throwing 30 million people back to a situation where they don't have health care , somehow that's an economic development agenda. nobody has really explained that to me.
>> who would have thought after years and years and years, even decades, in which the republican right attacked old europe, that they would embrace the economic policies of the eurozone? austerity and unemployment now at all costs. i mean, after all, their unemployment rate is 11% and ours is 8%. we can get right up there if wedopt thei r policies.
>> indeed. and while mr. clinton as well as mr. jon bon jovi helped the president raise at least $3.5 million last night, it's out in the midwest today that big personalities and big money are making wisconsin a test ground for a big political divide. on defense, wisconsin governor scott walker , fighting to keep his seat against an angry backlash after he decided to crush public sector unions backed by a flood of outside cash. the man seeking to oust him, milwaukee mayor tom barrett , the underdog in a tightening race facing a 7 to 1 fund-raising disadvantage. it's like the yankees versus the brewers, anheuser-busch versus milwaukee 's best. indeed, this two year political drama is drawing national attention for both parties with the obama campaign releasing a video backing barrett just today. and make no mistake, both candidates are vowing to fight for every last vote.
>> we're not conceding any vote anywhere across the state of wisconsin . i'm here tonight to ask for your vote to move wisconsin forward.
>> it's like a heavy weight boxing match . and in this corner we've got scott walker with his millions and millions of dollars of out of state dollars. and in this corner we've got tom barrett and he's got you.
>> it is going to be a very interesting night. msnbc's ed schultz has been on the story from the get-go. the host of "the ed show" joins us live from madison. ed, this really is a david and goliath battle. scott walker 's $30 million versus tom barrett 's $4.2 million, and given how mitt romney carpet bombed his opponents during the primaries, is this the same republican playbook right there in wisconsin ?
>> well, i really think it is in many respects, martin. they think money is going to be able to put scott walker over the top , but the ground game here has been absolutely incredible by the democrats and the progressive movement . we are seeing unbelievable turnouts all over the state. it's going to exceed in many respects the 2008 turnout. in north milwaukee they are moving poll workers. in madison in dane county they are talking about an 88% of the vote turnout. they're also bringing in more ballots to make sure they have enough. this is something that we've never seen unfold in the state of wisconsin . it is amazing what's unfolding. it's the people versus the corporate money. and it's going to go down to the wire. i mean, scott walker could win this, but there is a phenomenal turnout.
>> ed, teachers have been at the forefront of this battle. your mother was a teacher. given his approach to public service employees, what does governor walker think of those who work in the teaching profession?
>> well, just recalling what some of the teachers told me in the cities that i was in over the weekend, martin, is that they feel like they're being attacked. one teacher in baraboo, wisconsin , said to me, ed, no matter what happens, will you please tell the country that i am not the enemy? they feel vilified. they feel like they've been attacked. their profession has been attacked, their pension has been attacked, their health care benefits have been attacked. they have been made out to be the problem when it comes to the budget. and martin, speaking of the budget, what the right wing has been able to do is they have infiltrated a lot of collective thinking within the media that somehow this state has a budget surplus . it does not. i had tom barrett and senator tim larson on this -- chris larson on this program today on the radio show telling me there is no budget surplus . and george will of abc and brooks who writes for "the new york times," they got it wrong. they absolutely have it wrong. there have been some gimmicks that have been done within the budget that have kicked the expenses down the road on the next generation. and there's flat out lies that are being perpetrated throughout the media, and i think people in this state have got it figured out on this election day .
>> congressman paul ryan has said if scott walker wins this vote, it will be a signal to the country. but what kind of signal? that workers and union members should give up hope of ever representing themselves collectively? is that the signal?
>> they've made the workers and the middle class out to be the problem in every budget in america, martin. there's no question about it. you can count if walker wins this recall and he retains his gubernatorial chair, they are going to use this as a narrative nationally. we heard that from congressman paul ryan , who was out doing stumping this weekend in the state of wisconsin . he's pointing if walker is defeated, this is going to slow down other governors, this is going to slow down other legislative body that is want to bring reforms. it's not reforms. it's nasty massive cuts to middle class americans and i think the voters have got it figured out. this is all about saving the middle class and it's going to be a narrative for the republicans if they're able to retain the power in the senate and retain the governor's chair.
>> ed schultz , as ever, thanks so much. be sure to tune in for a full hour from wisconsin tonight on
>>> and in the presidential race last night found former president bill clinton warning that a romney presidency would be calamitous for the country combining with the current president to deal some body blows to republicans at a new york fund-raiser last night.
>> there's no vision for the future there. there's no imagination. somebody is going to have to explain to me how repealing obama care and throwing 30 million people back to a situation where they don't have health care , somehow that's an economic development agenda. nobody has really explained that to me.
>> who would have thought after years and years and years, even decades, in which the republican right attacked old europe, that they would embrace the economic policies of the eurozone? austerity and unemployment now at all costs. i mean, after all, their unemployment rate is 11% and ours is 8%. we can get right up there if wedopt thei r policies.
>> indeed. and while mr. clinton as well as mr. jon bon jovi helped the president raise at least $3.5 million last night, it's out in the midwest today that big personalities and big money are making wisconsin a test ground for a big political divide. on defense, wisconsin governor scott walker , fighting to keep his seat against an angry backlash after he decided to crush public sector unions backed by a flood of outside cash. the man seeking to oust him, milwaukee mayor tom barrett , the underdog in a tightening race facing a 7 to 1 fund-raising disadvantage. it's like the yankees versus the brewers, anheuser-busch versus milwaukee 's best. indeed, this two year political drama is drawing national attention for both parties with the obama campaign releasing a video backing barrett just today. and make no mistake, both candidates are vowing to fight for every last vote.
>> we're not conceding any vote anywhere across the state of wisconsin . i'm here tonight to ask for your vote to move wisconsin forward.
>> it's like a heavy weight boxing match . and in this corner we've got scott walker with his millions and millions of dollars of out of state dollars. and in this corner we've got tom barrett and he's got you.
>> it is going to be a very interesting night. msnbc's ed schultz has been on the story from the get-go. the host of "the ed show" joins us live from madison. ed, this really is a david and goliath battle. scott walker 's $30 million versus tom barrett 's $4.2 million, and given how mitt romney carpet bombed his opponents during the primaries, is this the same republican playbook right there in wisconsin ?
>> well, i really think it is in many respects, martin. they think money is going to be able to put scott walker over the top , but the ground game here has been absolutely incredible by the democrats and the progressive movement . we are seeing unbelievable turnouts all over the state. it's going to exceed in many respects the 2008 turnout. in north milwaukee they are moving poll workers. in madison in dane county they are talking about an 88% of the vote turnout. they're also bringing in more ballots to make sure they have enough. this is something that we've never seen unfold in the state of wisconsin . it is amazing what's unfolding. it's the people versus the corporate money. and it's going to go down to the wire. i mean, scott walker could win this, but there is a phenomenal turnout.
>> ed, teachers have been at the forefront of this battle. your mother was a teacher. given his approach to public service employees, what does governor walker think of those who work in the teaching profession?
>> well, just recalling what some of the teachers told me in the cities that i was in over the weekend, martin, is that they feel like they're being attacked. one teacher in baraboo, wisconsin , said to me, ed, no matter what happens, will you please tell the country that i am not the enemy? they feel vilified. they feel like they've been attacked. their profession has been attacked, their pension has been attacked, their health care benefits have been attacked. they have been made out to be the problem when it comes to the budget. and martin, speaking of the budget, what the right wing has been able to do is they have infiltrated a lot of collective thinking within the media that somehow this state has a budget surplus . it does not. i had tom barrett and senator tim larson on this -- chris larson on this program today on the radio show telling me there is no budget surplus . and george will of abc and brooks who writes for "the new york times," they got it wrong. they absolutely have it wrong. there have been some gimmicks that have been done within the budget that have kicked the expenses down the road on the next generation. and there's flat out lies that are being perpetrated throughout the media, and i think people in this state have got it figured out on this election day .
>> congressman paul ryan has said if scott walker wins this vote, it will be a signal to the country. but what kind of signal? that workers and union members should give up hope of ever representing themselves collectively? is that the signal?
>> they've made the workers and the middle class out to be the problem in every budget in america, martin. there's no question about it. you can count if walker wins this recall and he retains his gubernatorial chair, they are going to use this as a narrative nationally. we heard that from congressman paul ryan , who was out doing stumping this weekend in the state of wisconsin . he's pointing if walker is defeated, this is going to slow down other governors, this is going to slow down other legislative body that is want to bring reforms. it's not reforms. it's nasty massive cuts to middle class americans and i think the voters have got it figured out. this is all about saving the middle class and it's going to be a narrative for the republicans if they're able to retain the power in the senate and retain the governor's chair.
>> ed schultz , as ever, thanks so much. be sure to tune in for a full hour from wisconsin tonight on