Ed Schultz advises Obama: 'The best negotiation is telling Boehner what to do'

MSNBC host Ed Schultz argued on Monday that President Barack Obama should take full advantage of Republicans' horrible polling numbers during his next set of negotiations with GOP and Democratic lawmakers regarding both the government shutdown and the federal debt limit.

"Mister President, when you meet with the 'Big Four' later today -- the leaders from the House and the Senate -- understand, sir, respectfully, that the people are on your side. The best negotiation is telling [House Speaker John] Boehner (R-OH) what to do. We'll deal with the numbers later on. The public is with the president and the Democrats."

Schultz cited a NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey showing the GOP being blamed at a higher rate for the current impasse than Democrats, as well as historically low approval ratings for both Republicans and their Tea Party allies.

Tea Partiers like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Schultz pointed out, were also criticized by organizers of the "Million Vet March" alongside former Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who Schultz called,"the quitter of Alaska."

Schultz also noted that neither Boehner nor Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have condemned the Islamophobic remarks made at the rally by conservative activist Larry Klayman, who told the crowd that Obama "bows down to Allah" and called upon demonstrators to use civil disobedience to force Obama to "get up, to put the Quran down, to get up off his knees, and to figuratively come up with his hands out."

"When you put your name, your reputation, on that stage, birds of a feather flock together," Schultz said. "You are endorsing everything that is said on that stage, and you can't piecemeal it."

Watch Schultz exhort Obama to get tough on Republicans, as aired on MSNBC on Monday, below.

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