BARACK OBAMA.
HE IS AN MSNBC POLITICAL
ANALYST.
DAVID, THIS FEELS LIKE, YOU
NEVER KNOW, FEELS LIKE THE LAST
CHAPTER OF THE REPUBLICAN
ATTEMPT TO GET RID OF THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.
>> I THINK THATS RIGHT,
LAWRENCE.
I MEAN, THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL
BIG LIE.
THEY SPENT A DECADE,
ESSENTIALLY, DEFINED BY THE LIE
THAT SOMEHOW THEY WERE GOING TO
GET RID OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE
ACT.
THATS BEEN REPLACED NOW BY THE
EFFORT TO DESTROY OUR DEMOCRACY.
SO THEY FAILED ON ELIMINATING
HEALTH CARE FOR MILLIONS.
THEYRE VERY MUCH ALIVE IN THEIR
EFFORTS TO KILL OUR DEMOCRACY.
AND LISTEN, WOULDNT IT BE GREAT
OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS IF WE
COULD SAY THE AFFORDABLE CARE
ACT IS ALIVE FOREVER, AND THE
FILIBUSTER AS WE KNOW IT IS DEAD
FOREVER?
THATS KIND OF WHERE WE COULD GO
AS A COUNTRY.
YEAH, I THINK, LISTEN, WHATS
FASCINATEING FOR ME IS IN THE
2012 RE-ELECTION, WHICH WAS
AWHILE AGO, THAT IS REALLY WHEN
THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT BEGAN TO
GROW IN POPULARITY.
THE REALITY, THE BENEFITS WERE
AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE, IT WASNT
JUST THEORY.
I THINK YOU SEE ENROLLMENT
NUMBERS UP.
AGAIN, THE LESSON, AS YOU
REMEMBER, THERE WAS A LOT OF
DEMOCRATS, NOT MANY, BUT ENOUGH,
AFTER TED KENNEDY PASSED AWAY,
WHO SAID, WE KIND OF NEED TO
GIVE UP ON HEALTH CARE.
WEVE BEEN SITTING HERE, TENS OF
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WITHOUT
HEALTH CARE, A LOT OF PEOPLE
WOULD HAVE DIED, A LOT OF PEOPLE
WOULD BE A LOT MORE SICKER THAN
THEY WERE, THEYD BE BANKRUPT.
THE LESSON HERE IS, WHEN YOUVE
GOT THE POWER, THE DEMOCRATS
HAVE IT RIGHT NOW, YOUVE GOT TO
USE IT.
YOUVE GOT TO USE IT TO THE
MAXIMAL AMOUNT YOU CAN TO HELP
AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN.
BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN
THATS GOING TO CHANGE.
>> SO BY THE WAY, IF YOU HAD
GIVEN UP, ITS HARD FOR ME TO
THINK OF, WHAT IS THE NUMBER TWO
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION DOMESTIC
LEGISLATIVE ACHIEVEMENT?
THIS NUMBER ONE IS SO BIG, SO
IMPORTANT, SO HISTORIC, I KNOW
YOU GUYS PULLED OFF MORE THAN
THAT.
BUT IMAGINE WHAT THIS LEGACY
WOULD BE TONIGHT WITHOUT IT.
>> WELL, I HAVE A LIST, OF
COURSE.
I STILL THINK IT WOULD BE A
STRONG LEGACY.
BUT YEAH, I MEAN, HEALTH CARE IN
THIS COUNTRY REFORMED IN A MAJOR
WAY THAT MADE HEALTH CARE
AVAILABLE TO JUST ABOUT
EVERYBODY HAD ELUDED THE COUNTRY
FOR 100 YEARS.
WE HAD MEDICARE, MEDICAID.
SO THAT WAS, I THINK, PRESIDENT
OBAMA, SENATOR HARRY REID, NANCY
PELOSI, HELD EVERYBODY TOGETHER
IN SAYING, IF WE DONT DO IT
NOW, IT COULD BE 10, 20, 30
YEARS BEFORE WE HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY.
WHETHER ITS INFRASTRUCTURE, TAX
REFORM CHANGES, PROTECTING
DEMOCRACY, IMMIGRATION REFORM.
IM MORE OPTIMISTIC TODAY THAN I
WAS YESTERDAY, PRIOR DISCUSSION
WITH YOUR GUESTS WAS SUPER
ILLUMINATING, BECAUSE I THINK
YOU CAN SEE A PATHWAY NOW WHERE
MAYBE ENOUGH SENATE DEMOCRATS
SAY, ENOUGHS ENOUGH, PROTECTING
OUR DEMOCRACY, ON SOME OF THESE
ECONOMIC MEASURES, ON
IMMIGRATION REFORM, WE CAN MOVE
FORWARD.
>> WHAT IS THE LESSON FROM THE
PASSAGE OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE
ACT IN THAT TRAGIC AND DRAMATIC
MOMENT SENATOR TED KENNEDY DIED
AND AT THAT MOMENT THE DEMOCRATS
HAD BEFORE HE DIED, 60 DEMOCRATS
IN THE SENATE, 60 VOTES.
WENT DOWN TO 59.
IT DID LOOK LIKE ALL IS LOST.
IT LOOKED JUST PLAIN HOPELESS
BUT SOMEHOW IT GOT DONE.
WHATS THE LESSON THAT YOU TAKE
FROM THAT INTO THE LEGISLATIVE
STRUGGLES THAT ARE GOING ON NOW,
VOTING RIGHTS, INFRASTRUCTURE?
>> WELL, LAWRENCE, YOURE A
GREAT STUDENT OF HISTORY.
SO FIRST OF ALL, WHEN YOU HAVE
AN OPPORTUNITY, WHEN YOU HAVE
THE POWER, ITS GOING TO BE
FLEETING.
MAYBE IT LASTS A NUMBER OF YEARS
AND CYCLES, MAYBE IT DOESNT.
SO THE THINGS THAT YOU RAN ON
THAT YOU THINK ARE IMPORTANT FOR
THE COUNTRY, I TEND TO THINK
WHEN YOU DO THE RIGHT THING FOR
THE COUNTRY, THERES GOOD
POLITICS TO FOLLOW.
EVEN IF NOT, ILL THEY HAVE
FORGET, I WAS NOT IN THE WHITE
HOUSE AT THE TIME, BUT I WAS IN
THE OVAL OFFICE WITH PRESIDENT
OBAMA THE NIGHT SCOTT BROWN WON
THAT SPECIAL ELECTION IN
MASSACHUSETTS.
WE TALKED ABOUT HEALTH CARE.
AND THIS IS GOING TO SOUND LIKE
THE "WEST WING" EPISODE, FORGIVE
ME, BUT ITS TRUE.
HE SAID, YOU KNOW, WE DIDNT RUN
IN THAT CAMPAIGN LAST YEAR, IN
2008, TO OCCUPY THIS OFFICE.
WE RAN TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT.
AND I THINK ENOUGH DEMOCRATS
BACK IN 2009 AND 2010 CAST A LOT
OF TOUGH VOTES BECAUSE THEY
UNDERSTOOD THAT.
THATS WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN NOW.
I WILL SAY OUR DEMOCRACY HAS
NEVER BEEN IN THIS MUCH PERIL,
LAWRENCE.
THERES A WHOLE BUNCH OF THINGS
WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE PROGRESS
IN THIS COUNTRY.
BUT THIS IS EXISTENTIAL.
IF YOU THINK THAT THIS
REPUBLICAN WONT GO TO THE MOST
FURTHEST EXTREMES TO HOLD ON TO
POWER, TO STEAL POWER, TO DENY
VOTERS THEIR FRANCHISE, I I
DONT KNOW WHAT YOURE WATCHING.
ITS HAPPENING IN FRONT OF OUR
EYES RIGHT NOW.
AND SO WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY.
AND I THINK THIS EFFORT BY JOE
MANCHIN TODAY IS INCREDIBLY