Mitt Romney's business record, known as "vulture" capitalism by some of his GOP opponents, continues to come under fire.  Even Sarah Palin is joining the fray, demanding proof that Romney created 100,000 jobs while heading the private equity firm Bain Capital.  

Tonight, Ed comments on the moral failings of Middle Class Mitt (click here to see Ed's vulture chart) and welcomes David Cay Johnston, Reuters Columnist and author ("Free Lunch").

The next test for the GOP presidential candidates is January 21 in South Carolina, where the race is getting tighter and uglier by the minute.  Tyler Jones, a Democratic strategist and co-founder of SC Forward Progress, will have the latest.

Then, Ed welcomes an all-star panel for an extended discussion, including Democratic strategist Krystal Ball, E.J. Dionne, a Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution and Washington Post columnist, and Ari Melber, Correspondent for The Nation.

Four years ago, President Obama delivered a powerful speech on race in America after being attacked for his association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.  Now, some in the religious community believe it's Romney's turn, specifically to address passages in the Book of Mormon that condemn black people.

Obery Hendricks, Professor of Biblical Interpretation at the New York Theological Seminary, Visiting Scholar in religion and African American Studies at Columbia University and author ("The Universe Bends Towards Justice"), will discuss his HuffPost piece Mitt Romney and the Curse of Blackness.

U.s. Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) thinks Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is just what Washington needs.  Ed will explain why that's job-killing Psycho Talk!

And in the big finish, a direct challenge (finally!) to the Supreme Court case (Citizens United) which has led to unlimited corporate spending in politics.  And it comes from the states.  Will Republicans support states' rights in this case?  Ed will talk with Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock.

It's going to be another packed @EdShow at 8pET on @msnbctv.

And join the conversation now or during the show by commenting on Facebook and/or tweeting (with the #edshow hashtag) so we can share your thoughts on the show!

The White House

First lady @MichelleObama went live on Twitter on Thursday.

@MichelleObama went live on Twitter on today, and scooped up more than 148,000 followers by mid-afternoon. 

In her first tweet, the first lady writes: "Hi, everyone, and thanks for the warm welcome. Look forward to staying in touch with you here. -mo."'

Her twitter feed will be managed by the president's re-election campaign, with any tweets from the first lady herself to be signed "-mo."

Of course, Mrs. Obama and all our viewers are always welcome to join our conversation.  The Tween-tron 9k is waiting so we can get your tweets on the teevee every weeknight at 8pET on @msnbctv!

Our viewers have sent some amazing tweets (and Facebook comments) over the past few weeks -- smart, insightful and sometimes downright hilarious.  We love sharing them on the show!  

Do you want to increase the likelihood that we'll use your tweet on the air?  Here's some suggested guidelines:  

Here`s why the "vulture capitalist" attacks on Mitt Romney by Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry are very effective. They are putting a face on the red line that we show you on this program all the time.

Last night, Ed introduced some new "faces" on his income disparity chart and decided to call it the "vulture chart."

Here's the transcript: 

SCHULTZ:  Have you ever seen vultures eat?  Seriously, I mean, they are the meanest son of a gun in the wild. I mean, when they see a carcass and want to go eat on it, they just eat and they hang around and they don`t leave until they are finished, and they get everything they possibly want, and then they leave. Sound familiar?  And they feed on these folks down here on the blue line.

Republicans are worried about Gingrich and other candidates attacking Romney over vulture capitalism because basically it`s the truth. You will never convince me, Americans, that Mitt Romney was the head of Bain Capital because he wanted to create as many jobs as he possibly could -- like the President of the United States.

I believe that every time Mitt Romney went into a company, he had one thing in mind and that was making a boatload of money and he didn`t care who he ran over. It`s a culture. We have seen this on the campaign trail.

He likes to fire people. Where does that come from? That`s who he is.

When you talk about the truth, behind Republican policies -- Republicans, you know what they do? They get nervous because they know it`s the truth. They don`t want anybody knowing that this is one of their virtues.  

Last night, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawalenty told Ed that The Ed Show cures his insomnia.  So tonight, in a very special edition of Psycho Talk, Ed helped him fall asleep with a bedtime story about T-Paw's good friend Mitt Romney.  It's called Goodnight Mitt:

In the great, 12 million dollar beach house

There was a telephone,

And 250 million bucks,

And a picture of greedy, multi-millionaire shmucks.

There were three little capitalist cronies,

And a bowl full of pious baloney.

And a quiet old lady who was whispering, “don’t privatize social security”

Good night, unions.  Good night, health care.

Good night, jobs.  Good night, clean air.

Good night, public education, 

Good night, immigration.

Good night, wall street regulation.

Good night, middle class.  Good night, auto czar, 

Good night, dog on the roof of the car.

Good night, roe v. Wade.  Good night, marriage equality.

Good night to the old lady whispering “don’t privatize social security.”

Good night, medicaid.

Good night, medicare.  Good night, american dreams, everywhere.

The New Hampshire primary is over and The Ed Show is back tonight!

Mitt Romney's opponents are latching on to his "vulture capitalist" past as the GOP presidential race heads to South Carolina.  As we've seen during the past decade the South Carolina GOP presidential primary campaign is not for the faint of heart.  

In tonight's Playbook, Ed welcomes an all-star panel of Joy-Ann Reid, Managing Editor of TheGrio.com and MSNBC Contributor, Richard Wolffe, MSNBC Political Analyst, and Jonathan Alter, MSNBC Political Analyst and Bloomberg View Columnist, to give us an idea of what to expect in the coming days.

That excellent trio will also talk about First Lady Michelle Obama's efforts to push back on a new book that depicts her as an "angry black woman. 

Mitt Romney Came to Town, the half-hour pro-Newt Gingrich super PAC “Winning Our Future” documentary that purports to take a look at the fallout from Romney‘s time at Bain Capital, is out tonight.  Ed talks to Rick Tyler, the man behind the film and a former Gingrich campaign spokesman.

Some conservatives don't think Romney is extreme enough for the Republican Party.  But Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Editor and Publisher of The Nation, says Mitt is just as right-wing as the rest of them.  She'll join Ed to explain.

 On last night's MSNBC coverage of the New Hampshire primary, former Republican Gov. John Sununu answered Ed's question about the fairness of Romney's tax plan by calling an independent study "a crock of crap."  Who's right?  Ed checks in with Ezra Klein, Washington Post Columnist and MSNBC Policy Analyst.

Also last night, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawalenty told Ed that The Ed Show cures his insomnia.  So tonight, in a very special edition of Psycho Talk, Ed will help him fall asleep with a bedtime story about T-Paw's good friend Mitt Romney.  Don't miss that!

It's going to be another packed @EdShow at 8pET on @msnbctv.

And join the conversation now or during the show by commenting on Facebook and/or tweeting (with the #edshow hashtag) so we can share your thoughts on the show!

On the strength of his big win in New Hampshire last night, Mitt Romney seemed to be looking ahead to a general election race, using his victory speech to bash President Obama

"He (Obama) wants to turn America into a European-style welfare state," Romney said to cheering supporters.  "We want to ensure that we remain a free and prosperous land of opportunity."

Today, with an implicit contrast with Romney, Obama gathered consulting professionals and company chiefs at the White House to talk about insourcing, saying he wants to reward companies that invest in America and eliminate tax breaks for companies that don't.

While the president acknowledged "the bottom line" of profit and competition, he said business executives also had a wider moral and patriotic imperative to spur employment in the United States.

"That's part of the responsibility that comes with being a leader in America –- a responsibility not just to the shareholders or the stakeholders, but to the country that made all this incredible wealth and opportunity possible," Obama said in a speech that doubled as the best, most effective campaign speech he could give today. 

"That’s a responsibility that we all have to live up to –- whether we’re in the private sector or the public sector; whether we’re in Washington or we’re on Wall Street."    

The Romney-Obama contrast of the past 24 hours could not be clearer.

Newt Gingrich is out with his first ad attacking Mitt Romney in South Carolina, and it’s a doozy — targeting the former Massachusetts governor’s record on abortion rights.

GOP Strategist Frank Luntz says "conservatives should not be defending capitalism."

Mitt Romney said his win in New Hampshire is proof that the attacks on his time at Bain Capital fell flat.

Mitt Romney has a new Spanish-language ad in Florida, called “Nostros” (meaning “We” or “Us”). 

In Rock Hill, S.C., Newt Gingrich hit on a theme he has cultivated since Monday that Mitt Romney is a weak, gaffe-prone candidate

Last week, underwhelming Republican turnout in the Iowa caucuses fell short of expectations. Yesterday in New Hampshire, it happened again.

Campaign advisers to Mitt Romney, stung by unexpectedly ferocious attacks on his business record, are scrambling to avoid a prolonged and nasty battle. 

As Mitt Romney's firm profited in South Carolina, jobs disappeared.

Mitt Romney is depicted as a financier “more ruthless than Wall Street” in a film bankrolled by Newt Gingrich supporters set to be released today in South Carolina.

Rush Limbaugh says Newt Gingrich "sounds like Elizabeth Warren." 

Mitt Romney delivered a punchy, aggressive, and well-received acceptance speech after his New Hampshire win, tying President Obama to another continent: Europe.

Rick Perry: Mitt's company is "just vultures" who "eat the carcass" of companies.

Fox's Sean Hannity To Rick Perry: You sound "like something from Occupy Wall Street."  

MSNBC host Ed Schultz discusses a report that Newt Gingrich may endorse Rick Santorum when/if Gingrich loses the South Carolina GOP primary.