NEIL: ALL RIGHT, THE PRESIDENT
ON CAPITOL HILL MEETING WITH
REPUBLICANS TRYING TO KEEP
EVERYBODY IN LINE.
A UNITED FRONT ON THIS.
THIS IS ALREADY BEGINNING TO
FRAY UP REPUBLICAN ALLIES.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WANTING TO
URGE THE PRESIDENT TO GET THIS
WRAPPED UP SO THEY CAN RESUME
OPERATING AND THEY CAN GET BACK
TO A MORE NORMAL LIFE, WHATEVER
THAT IS.
BERNIE MARCUS.
BERNIE, THE PRESIDENT IS SAYING
IT'S ABOUT SECURITY AND ALL.
YOU'D THINK IN RETROSPECT
HOWEVER PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THAT,
ATTACHING IT TO WEATHER STAYS
OPEN OR NOT WAS A CALCULATED
MISTAKE?
>> NO, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE
TIMING WAS RIGHT.
IN FEBRUARY WHEN THEY WERE
COMING UP WITH THE BUDGET AGAIN
BECAUSE HE WAS GIVING HIM MORE
TIME TO MAKE THE CASE FOR WHY HE
WANTS TO DO IT.
BUT I DON'T THINK THAT SOMEWHERE
ALONG THE LINE THIS HAS BEEN A
PROBLEM WITH CLINTON AS A
PRESIDENT, BUSH IS A PRESIDENT,
OBAMA, THEY ALL KNOW THERE'S A
PROBLEM AT THE BORDER.
BUT SCHUMER HAS MADE DOZENS OF
SPEECHES TALKING ABOUT SECURING
THE BORDER.
AS YOUR LAST SPEAKER SAID, THEY
ACTUALLY APPROVE $50 BILLION FOR
A WALL.
MY QUESTION IS WHY OUR NANCY
PELOSI AND SCHUMER NOW ALL OF A
SUDDEN THE SMALL AMOUNT, WHY ARE
YOU NOW SAYING IT'S ALL
POLITICAL AS FAR AS I'M
CONCERNED.
AND MEANWHILE THINGS ARE
HAPPENING IN THE UNITED STATES.
SOMETHING THE PRESIDENT DIDN'T
HIT ON ANY SHOULD HAVE DONE A
BETTER JOB ON.
IT'S ESTIMATED THAT 17,000
PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES DIED
OF OVERDOSES IN THE LAST YEAR.
70,000 PEOPLE THAT DIED OF
OVERDOSES.
THAT MEANS THERE WERE TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T
DIE.
IT'S GOTTEN SO BAD IN
COMMUNITIES ALL AROUND THE
COUNTRY THAT POLICE CARS NOW
CARRY NARCAN.
THEY'RE LOSING THE PEOPLE.
THE DRUG ISSUE IS SO BAD IN 90%
OF THE IS COMING FROM OVER THE
BORDER.
IF THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT
NANCY PELOSI AND SCHUMER ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT, WHAT ARE YOU
CONCERNED ABOUT.
NEIL: I'M TRYING REALLY HARD TO
AVOID THE POLITICAL
FINGER-POINTING HERE.
YOUR COMMENTS ARE CERTAINLY
JUSTIFIED.
I WONDER WHETHER ATTACHING
GOVERNMENT FUNDING, IN OTHER
WORDS KEEPING THE GOVERNMENT
DOORS OPEN EVEN THOUGH THREE
QUARTERS OF GOVERNMENT IS OPEN
AS A WAY TO GO ABOUT IT BECAUSE
THAT JUST BUILT INTRANSIGENCE ON
BOTH SIDES.
WHATEVER PEOPLE'S VIEWS ON THE
SUBJECT, FOR OR AGAINST THAT
JUST LOCK PEOPLE IN POSITIONS
WERE NOT GOING TO GET AN EDGE
BECAUSE HE'S ATTACHING THIS TO A
SHUTDOWN.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> WELL, NO, LISTEN, I DON'T
AGREE WITH EVERY TACTIC HE USES.
MAYBE THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE
HE HAD LEVERAGE ON.
BUT FOR HIM, THIS IS LEVERAGE.
IN ORDER DO MAKE A DEAL HE'S
USING THIS AS LEVERAGE.
THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE BEING
HURT BY THIS.
800,000 PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO
GET THEIR SALARIES.
THEY'LL LIVE FOR WEEKS TO WEEK.
I REALLY FEEL FOR THESE PEOPLE.
BUT I DON'T KNOW WHETHER
CONGRESS WILL ACT ON ANYTHING.
THEY HAVE NOT TAKEN A POSITION
THAT IF IT'S A REPUBLICAN ISSUE
WERE NOT GOING TO PARTICIPATE.
WERE NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU
ANYTHING YOU WANT NO MATTER HOW
RIGHT YOU ARE AND I THINK THAT
UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T KNOW THAT
HE'S MADE THIS POSITION STRONG
ENOUGH TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
NEIL: IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS THEN.
THE BUSINESS STOPS THE PROGRESS
ON CRUCIAL ISSUES TO THE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
IT'S NOT REFLECTED OBVIOUSLY IN
THE MARKET TODAY BUOYED BY
OPTIMISM WERE GOING TO GET A
TREATY WITH CHINA SEPARATE
ISSUE.
WHAT YOU MAKE OF THAT?
THE ARGUMENT THAT THIS IS GOING
TO BE A PREVIEW OF COMING
ATTRACTIONS WHERE NOTHING,
NOTHING IS GETTING DONE.
>> AND I SAY THEN FOLD THE WAY
EVERYBODY ELSE HAS FOLDED.
FOLD THE WAY OBAMA FOLDED.
FOLD THE WAY CLINTON FOLDED.
AND YOU GET NOTHING DONE.
SOONER OR LATER, THIS GUY IS A
BUSINESSMAN AND HE KNOWS THAT
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE.
IMMEDIATELY HE KNOWS IT'S THE
RIGHT THING TO DO.
BUT, I UNDERSTAND IT'S GOING TO
HAVE AN EFFECT ON LOTS OF
BUSINESSES, AGRICULTURE.
AND ON COMMERCE.
BUT YOU KNOW, ISN'T THAT THE
LEVERAGE HE IS USING?
WHY DON'T THOSE PEOPLE WRITE
LETTERS TO SCHUMER AND NANCY
PELOSI INSTEAD OF WRITING IT TO
TROUT.
AS YOU HEARD FROM THEM, THEY'VE
COME OUT WITH 40 DIFFERENT WAYS
TO SOLVE THE SITUATION.
YOU DON'T WANT TO SIT DOWN AND
NEGOTIATE.
HONESTLY YOU CAN'T GET ANYTHING
DONE.
I THINK THEY'RE BEING
INTRANSIGENT ABOUT IT.
I THINK THEY DON'T WANT TO DO
ANYTHING TO LET THIS PRESIDENT
HAVE CREDIT FOR ANYTHING.
THIS IS NOT AN AMERICAN ISSUE.
70,000 PEOPLE DYING IN THE
UNITED STATES IN OVERDOSING, IS
NOT POLITICAL?
IS THAT A DEMOCRATIC OR
REPUBLICAN ISSUE?
IT'S AMERICAN ISSUE FOR CRYING
OUT LOUD.
DO SOMETHING REASONABLE FOR ONCE
IN YOUR LIFE AND STOP PLAYING
POLITICS.
NEIL: DO YOU THINK THE WALL IS
THE ANSWER?
>> YEAH.
I'VE BEEN TO ISRAEL MANY TIMES
AND I'M SURE YOU HAVE BEEN WHAT
HAPPENED WITH JERUSALEM AND WHAT
HAPPENED WITH TEL AVIV I CAN
TELL YOU THE WALL HAS STOP THE
BOMBINGS.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S 99.9%, BUT
I KNOW THERE WERE BOMBINGS
FREQUENTLY.
NOW TO SAY THAT THIS IS GOING TO
SOLVE THE PROBLEM, ISRAELIS USED
A LOT OF THINGS.
THE USED A LOT OF DETECTION.
IT'S A QUESTION OF A FENCE OR A
WALL OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO
CALL THIS THING, BUT IT ALSO
MEANS OTHER THINGS.
HAVING THE BORDER PATROL BEEN
ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE OF THIS
ISSUE.
NEIL: SORRY TO JUMP YOU.
I DID WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON
THE ECONOMY.
THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT RIGHT
NOW.
CRAZY TIME IN THE MARKETS
PUTTING TOGETHER THEIR FOURTH
GAME IN A ROW.
WE HAVEN'T SEEN THAT SINCE LAST
FALL.
WHEN YOU MAKE OF THE ENVIRONMENT
RIGHT NOW.
>> FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT,
WE HAVE THE LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT
WAS HAD FOR YEARS.
MORE JOB CREATION THAN WE'VE HAD
FOR YEARS.
WE HAVE THE LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT
IN THE HISPANIC AND BLACK
COMMUNITY THAT WE'VE EVER HAD.
MORE PEOPLE WORKING THAN WE HAVE
FOR YEARS.
I WOULD SAY FROM THE STANDPOINT
OF THE BUSINESSMEN LOOKING OUT
AT NON-POLITICALLY THAT THE
ECONOMY IS IN GREAT SHAPE.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T LOOK AT THE
VAGARIES OF THE MARKET.
THE MARKET IS SCHIZOPHRENIC.
BUT FROM THE BUSINESS
STANDPOINT, I THINK MOST PEOPLE
ARE DOING VERY, VERY WELL.
THE SMALL BUSINESSES ARE
GROWING.
WE HAVE MORE SMALL BUSINESSES
FORMING IN THE UNITED STATES.
MORE PEOPLE BEING EMPLOYED FOR
SMALL BUSINESSES.
MANY OF THE THINGS HE'S DOING
ARE REALLY COMING OUT POSITIVE
FOR THE UNITED STATES.
I THINK THAT LOOKING AT IT FROM
THAT STANDPOINT AND I KNOW
PEOPLE GET SO UPSET BY WHAT HE
SAYS IF THEY JUST STARTED
LOOKING AT WHAT HE'S
ACCOMPLISHED AND STOP LOOKING AT
WHAT HE SAYS, I THINK YOU'LL SEE
THAT THIS MAN IS ACCOMPLISHING A