A document from 1998 shows that Global-Tech, a China-based home appliance company, tried to entice investors with descriptions of its extremely low wages, long hours, and low tax liability.

It turns out that Mitt Romney was one of the investors that bought the pitch. Ed gives the details of the report.

By Rich Stockwell, Executive Producer

President Obama is leading Mitt Romney in every credible national public opinion poll.  But the right must concoct a conspiracy (that the polls oversample Democrats) because it couldn't possibly be the following:

Mitt Romney ran as Mr. Fix It, not understanding that his form of vulture capitalism in which he outsourced and invested in companies in China, closed bankrupt factories while he made millions and sheltered the money in overseas banks.

It couldn't be that he ran one of the worst conventions that seemed to focus on everyone but him, offered no vision for the future, and tried to paper over their real positions on issues large and small.

It couldn't be that he attempted to use a foreign policy crisis to try and score political points, while at the same time indicting President Obama as a terrorist sympathizer, and then when it was pointed out that he conflated two different countries in a calculated way, rather than back off, he doubled down.

It couldn't be that in the first real setting where we finally see Mitt Romney comfortable, he trashed 47 percent of the country. Sure, he claims it was political analysis, but nobody is buying it. Kinda hard to run from, because not many political analysts characterize the middle class and poor this way:

"All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it." 

And this:

"And so my job is not to worry about those people.  I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

He's admitted Obama hasn't raised taxes, you won't get much from him if you are in the middle class, you aren't allowed to see his taxes, you aren't allowed to see his tax plan, you aren't allowed to see what government programs he'll cut.

All this in just the last few weeks, from a guy who's been running for the presidency for six years and still can't seem to figure out why.

If I were in charge of defending that, I'd make up some conspiracy about polling too!!!!

Rich Stockwell is the Executive Producer of The Ed Show.  You can follow him on Twitter at @richstockwell, although he's never tweeted anything, so don't hold your breath! 

Outgoing Republican Senator Jon Kyl's Senate seat could be turning Democratic. Not only that, but new polling shows President Obama gaining on Mitt Romney in Arizona.

Ed Schultz talks to the Democratic challenger for Kyl's seat, former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona. 

The deadline for Congressman Todd Akin to withdraw from his Senate race against Sen. Claire McCaskill has passed-- and now Republicans are rallying around the candidate they were previously asking to step down.

Tea party candidate Richard Mourdock might actually be defeated in Indiana's Senate race.

Mourdock’s challenger, Rep. Joe Donnelly, joins Ed Schultz to discuss the race and why he might have a chance to win the seat in November. 

First, Mitt Romney has to bus in crowds to cheer for him. Now, at a rally in Ohio, he has to lead them in the cheers and Ed has the tape. 

Rep. Todd Akin and Sen. Claire McCaskill debate in Missouri, and Democrats surge in Senate races. The Nation magazine’s John Nichols joins Ed Schultz to talk specifics. 

This is how the cookie crumbles for Mitt Romney.  Romney’s infamous cookie insult from April is getting renewed attention in a key swing state. 

On April 17, 2012, Romney cooked up the controversy as he was sitting down to a staged event with a handful of local voters at the Bethel Park Community Center in Bethel, Pennsylvania. 

The local Bethel Bakery had provided a variety tray of five dozen cookies.  Romney sniped, "I’m not sure about these cookies.  They came from the local 7-Eleven bakery or whatever."

The bakery backlash was immediate.  As neighbors caught a whiff of the insult, Bethel Bakery’s business picked up dramatically. 

The bakery staff put together a collection of cookies like the ones Romney insulted called the "Cookie-Gate Sampler."  Cookie sales skyrocketed 130% by July.  The bakery also started selling Cookie-Gate T-shirts with Romney’s quotation emblazoned on the back.

The Bethel Bakery burned Romney again this week.  On Thursday, it launched what it calls a Presidential Confection Election.  You can cast your vote for Obama by buying a blue shortbread cookie.  Cast a vote for Romney with the purchase of a red one. 

It’s a sweet deal for the bakery, since the owners are hoping you’ll vote repeatedly.  You can get a bigger bang for your bakery buck by buying a bigger cookie with the candidate’s face on it.  Those picture cookies are worth six votes each.

Maybe Romney should opt for the humble pie next time he visits Bethel,  Pennsylvania.