Ed Schultz Badly Mistreats War Veteran

What could a lowly American vet know about his own health insurance?

From the 16 Oct 2013 edition of the Ed Schultz radio show:

CALLER: Hey Ed, I just called to disagree with you about Democrats caring about veterans. I'm a retired veteran with 23 years of service and I don't know if you know it, but 1 October 171,000 of us were kicked off our health care. And those evil Republicans, that you like to call them, passed a bill in June and it's been sitting in the Senate and Reid won't bring it up. They also have a bill that's been sitting there since June to fund the VA that he wouldn't bring up.

SCHULTZ: First of all, you have, uh, your facts wrong. Because there's a (crosstalk, Schultz quickly losing temper), I'm not going to freaking argue with you, Russell! You're full of crap! OK?! You're full of it! The government shutdown hurt the veterans! Is that wrong or right?

CALLER: It hasn't hurt us yet.

SCHULTZ: Oh! Yet! OK, hasn't hurt you yet. Who shut the government down?

CALLER: You didn't say anything about ...

SCHULTZ (desperately changing subject): No, no, no, no, no! I will get, I will, I am going to, I am going to break your idiot argument down piece by piece.

CALLER: I am one of the ones kicked off! I got a letter and I am not on Tricare Prime **** anymore and there's 171,000 of us. The whole state of Minnesota was kicked off.

SCHULTZ: Wait, wait a second, Russell! Who's calling for the budget cuts? It isn't the Democrats! You have your facts wrong! The budget cuts are com-, you know what, you need a right-wing talker. You need to go drink some Kool-aid because you have your facts wrong on veterans' benefits, OK? All right? (crosstalk) Let's go back, let's go back -- who shut the government down?

CALLER: I'm not calling about the shutdown ...

SCHULTZ: No, I'm calling about it 'cause veterans are affected by that. You know, Russell, there were 240 bills that were passed in the House under Nancy Pelosi that Mitch McConnell never took up. OK?! OK?!

CALLER: I believe that.

SCHULTZ: OK, all right. So, you can pin blame on whatever bill you want to pin blame on. The devil is in the details. The buck stops with the dollar. Who shut the government down? The Republicans. The Republicans. Who is, who's hanging in the balance right now? That Vietnam veteran with his legs lost, in a wheelchair, his only hope is to get a VA check. Who cut that off? And you're telling me that you're worried about health care when you've got a situation like that? And there's 170,000 that were thrown off?! Let me tell you how many hundreds of thousands have been thrown off from care because the Republicans have cut the funding to the VA! You gotta get your freaking facts straight, dude!

CALLER: Hey, sir ...

SCHULTZ: Don't 'sir' me, I'm not a sir to you the way you talk to me, the way you come in with this, my wife is telling me to calm down. I just, you'll, look ...

CALLER: How many people were thrown off our, that tried to ...

SCHULTZ: How many Americans don't have, how many people are going to thrown off health care in this country with the Republicans voting to take away health care in the House 43 times?

CALLER: I didn't retire for Obamacare. I retired for ...

SCHULTZ: Oh, OK. Well you know what? My tax dollars supplied you with your benefit. Right? (caller laughs) See ya. (crosstalk) I don't want to deal with you. I just don't. (hangs up on caller) Veterans, I don't know who got in between their ears to make them think that the Republicans are their best friend. It drives me nuts. It drives me nuts. I admit it.