WHEN
PEOPLE SAY THEY HATE POLITICS, MOSTLY THAT IS A COPOUT TO NOT
UNDERSTAND WHAT POLITICS IS ABOUT, BECAUSE IF YOU ARE
INTERESTED IN EXCITING DEBATE ABOUT THINGS THAT AFFECT THE
WORLD, THAT HAVE ASPECTS OF A HORSE RACE SOMETIMES, A
COMPETITIVE NATURE WHICH I THINK MOST PEOPLE LIKE, YOU WOULD LOVE
POLITICS.
BUT HERE WE WILL GET INTO NONSENSE THAT WE KNOW WILL
ULTIMATELY RESOLVE ITSELF, BUT HERE IS A STORY ABOUT A
NON-MEETING WITH BOTH SIDES TRYING TO SPIN IT AND IN THIS
CASE ALTHOUGH I OBJECT TO THE WAY TRUMP SPINS IT MORE I DON'T
KNOW THAT WE WILL THROW OUR ARMS AROUND CHUCK SCHUMER AND SAY
THIS IS HOW TO DO IT.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT IS THE
POSSIBILITY THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL SHUT DOWN I THINK BY
THE END OF NEXT WEEK, IS THAT CORRECT?
>>I THINK SO.
>>WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH AT LEAST A TEMPORARY FUNDING
MECHANISM TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT GOING ON THE THEORY THAT WE
WON'T GET A BIG BUDGET PASSED, ALMOST INVARIABLY I THINK EVERY
TIME A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN HURTS REPUBLICANS POLITICALLY,
BASICALLY BECAUSE THAT IS THE PARTY THAT LIKES SHUTTING THE
GOVERNMENT DOWN, THEY LIKE IT WHEN THINGS DON'T WORK.
IN THIS
CASE TRUMP TWEETED THIS MORNING THE FOLLOWING, THIS WOULD BE THE
TRUMP TWEET --
>>HE PUT CHUCK AND NANCY IN QUOTES AS IF TO SUGGEST
THAT THEIR NAMES ARE CHUCK AND NANCY.
>>NORMALLY WHEN YOU CREDIT SOMEONE TOGETHER YOU HAVE TO USE
AN AMPERSAND.
>>YOU MUST EMPHASIZE RAISE MORE.
>>IF THIS WERE THE FIRST TWEET HE HAD SENT IN THIS MANNER THAT
WOULD BE SHOCKING.
IT IS WRONG, IT IS INSULTING, DEGRADING,
WILDLY MISLEADING, AS IF PELOSI AND SCHUMER ARE ADVOCATING
LETTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS STREAM INTO THE COUNTRY.
THEY
DON'T WANT TO RAISE TAXES, I WISH THEY DID.
BUT THEY WANT TO
PREVENT YOU FROM CUTTING TAXES.
AND IF YOU ARE AGAINST THAT THEN YOU ARE AGAINST SOMETHING
THAT IN GENERAL WITHOUT ATTACHING IT TO SOMETHING
EVERY AMERICAN WANTS.
>>YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO WRAP THEIR MIND
AROUND POLITICS AND SAYING I HATE POLITICIANS, THAT'S A
COPOUT -- THERE ARE THINGS WHEN I LOOK AT THIS INTERACTION THAT
I CAN WRAP MY MIND AROUND.
I CAN RENT MY MIND ROUND-TRIP WANTING
TO GO INTO A MEETING WITH CHUCK AND NANCY AFTER HIS PREVIOUS
MEETING WITH CHUCK AND NANCY, WHICH SEEMED LIKE HE WAS
AMENDING AND ANGRY THE REPUBLICANS, NOW HE'S IN THIS
WEIRD POSITION, HE HAS MANAGED TO ALIENATE HIS BASE AT TIMES BY
ENDORSING LUTHER STRANGE, HE'S BEEN ABLE TO ALIENATE
ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS BY GOING INTO A MEETING WITH CHUCK
AND NANCY, IT SEEMS LIKE HE WAS MOST RECENTLY IN A ROOM WITH
SOMEONE FROM THE REPUBLICAN ESTABLISHMENT AND WANT TO
ALIENATE THESE TWO.
THE OTHER THING I CAN THINK OF IS HE IS
TRYING TO FIND ANY AND ALL REASON TO PAINT THIS WELL
IF HIS TAX PROPOSAL TO GO THROUGH.
>>I THINK THIS IS KIND OF POSTURED AS A CORRECTIVE TO
THEIR PREVIOUS MEETING WHICH HE RECEIVED A LOT OF BACKLASH FROM
HIS BASE, AND ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO THIS NARRATIVE THAT THEY
ARE
OBSTRUCTIONIST.
IT IS A DISTRACTION THAT PANDERS TO THE
BASE AND PAINTS THE PICTURE THAT DEMS ARE BEING INSTRUCTION IS.
>>THAT'S A GREAT NOTION, DEMOCRATS BEING OBSTRUCTIONIST.
HE HAS A MAJORITY IN BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS.
IN GENERAL THE
REPUBLICANS ARE A PARTY CAUSED BY PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO PASS
LEGISLATION BECAUSE THEY DON'T THINK GOVERNMENT SHOULD DO MUCH.
SO PAINTING DEMOCRATS AS OBSTRUCTIONIST IS RICH.
WHAT IS
ALSO INTERESTING IS THAT IT IS TRUMP AT HIS MOST TRUMP-Y.
I
IMAGINE THIS IS THE SORT OF THING PRE-TWITTER AND
PRE-PRESIDENCY THAT HE WOULD DO, BECAUSE HE FANCIES HIMSELF A
SKILLED NEGOTIATOR.
YOU SORT OF BELITTLE THE OTHER SIDE SO THEY
COME IN DEFENSIVE AND HAVE TO GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT.
THAT IS
REASON 1186 HOW HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE JOB HE HAS.
I HAVE NOT TALKED MYSELF INTO APPROVING OF CHUCK
SCHUMER'S RESPONSE, BUT I GET IT, IF SOMEONE WILL TWEET
THAT IN THE MORNING, NOT GOING TO THE MEETING IS THE RIGHT
THING TO DO.
HERE IS SCHUMER'S RESPONSE.
>>WE HOPED TO MAKE PROGRESS WITH THE ADMINISTRATION IN A MEETING
THIS AFTERNOON, UNFORTUNATELY THIS MORNING INSTEAD OF LEADING
THE PRESIDENT TWEETED A BLATANTLY INACCURATE STATEMENT
AND THEN CONCLUDED, I DON'T SEE A DEAL.
THE PRESIDENT SAID I
DON'T SEE A DEAL, THREE HOURS BEFORE OUR MEETING, BEFORE HE
HEARD ANYTHING WE HAD TO SAY.
GIVEN THAT THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T
SEE A DEAL BETWEEN DEMOCRATS AND THE WHITE HOUSE, LEADER PELOSI
AND I BELIEVE THE BEST PATH FORWARD IS TO CONTINUE
NEGOTIATING WITH OUR REPUBLICAN COUNTERPARTS IN CONGRESS
INSTEAD, RATHER THAN GOING TO THE WHITE HOUSE FOR A SHOW
MEETING THAT WON'T RESULT IN AN AGREEMENT FOR A PRESIDENT THAT
DOESN'T SEE A DEAL, WE HAVE ASKED SENATOR MCCONNELL AND
SPEAKER RYAN TO MEET WITH US THIS AFTERNOON.
OF THE
PRESIDENT, WHO SAID OUR COUNTRY NEEDS A GOOD SHUTDOWN, IF THE
PRESIDENT ISN'T INTERESTED IN ADDRESSING THE DIFFICULT AGENDA
AND WANTS TO MAKE THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, WE WILL WORK WITH
THOSE REPUBLICANS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN FUNDING THE
GOVERNMENT AS WE DID IN APRIL.
>>THAT WAS GREAT.
I WANTED TO GET OUT OF MY CHAIR AND JUST
CHEER.
>>YOU
DID WANT TO GET OUT OF YOUR CHAIR, AND CHEER A CADENCE --
>>YOU DID WANT TO GET OUT OF YOUR -- CHAIR -- AND CHEER A --
CADENCE.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOOK DOWN EVERY WORD.
HE SAYS TRUMP
IS LYING AND OF COURSE -- THEY ARE BOTH LYING BECAUSE THEY ARE
ALL JUST FOR SHOW.
YOU WANT MOMENTS THAT AT LEAST SEEM LIKE
REALITY AND MAYBE EVEN GIVE YOU REALITY, WHICH WOULD BE SCHUMER
SAYING -- AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY POLITICS DOESN'T QUITE WORK
THIS WAY -- SCHUMER SAYS DID YOU SEE TRUMP'S TWEET?
WHY WOULD I
MEET WITH A CLOWN WHO SAYS THIS?
WHY WHAT I WAS INTO THAT AND
THEN GO INTO A MEETING WITH HIM?
IF THE PRESIDENT WANTS A SERIOUS
MEETING THEN HE KNOWS WHERE WE ARE.
IT IS A SHOW MEETING, BUT YOU
ARE ALSO GIVING A SHOW
STATEMENT ABOUT THE SHOW MEETING.
YOU DISAGREE.
>>TRUMP HAS A WAY OF SETTING UP ISSUES IN A WAY THAT IT'S
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE THE RIGHT RESPONSE BECAUSE I
THINK THAT RESPONSE WOULD SIMILARLY LOOK RIDICULOUS.
>>WHY WOULD IT?
IT'S HONEST, THIS GUY MISCHARACTERIZES WHAT
WE BELIEVE, EFF THAT GUY.
SOME OF THIS IS STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE.
I THINK THAT SPEECH BY CHUCK SCHUMER SENDS A MESSAGE OF
INAUTHENTICITY TO AMERICA AND MAKES IT EASY FOR PEOPLE TO SAY
THE THING THAT BOTHERS ME MOST, THAT BOTHERED ME FROM THE LEFT
IN THE PREVIOUS ELECTION WE HAD, IT WAS NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR --
THEY ARE JUST THE SAME.
I HATE THAT STUFF WITH A PASSION AND I
THINK PEOPLE WHO HAVE AN AUDIENCE ARE DUTY-BOUND TO
INFORM AND NOT SORT OF ENCOURAGE THAT MANNER OF THINKING.
BUT IT
IS HARD TO DO WHEN CHUCK SCHUMER GIVES YOU THAT.
>>CHUCK SCHUMER IS ALSO A GRANDFATHER AND I THINK HE HAS
HANDLED A TANTRUM BEFORE.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM CHANNEL
THAT THING THAT IS EASY TO WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND, A GRANDFATHER
HANDLING A CHILD WHO IS HAVING A TANTRUM.
ARE YOU DONE?
YOU
WANTED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION -- WHAT WAS THAT?
ARE YOU DONE?
>>MAYBE THAT'S BETTER.
>>BUT IT FEELS WITH CHUCK SCHUMER, AND ALL OF THESE
CLOUDS, IT FEELS LIKE YOU WERE DESIGNING YOUR CHARACTER IN A
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS TYPE GAME WHERE YOU HAVE ONLY SO MANY
POINTS TO ASSIGN SKILL-WISE.
WITH TRUMP HIS COMMUNICATION
SKILL IS THROUGH THE ROOF, HIS ABILITY TO GET THE MESSAGE
THROUGH THE DIN, BUT HIS INTELLIGENCE IS WAY DOWN HERE.
CHUCK SCHUMER NEEDS TO DIAL UP THE COMMUNICATION LEVER.
I DON'T
KNOW WHERE ALL HIS POINTS ARE, MAYBE HE IS A MASTER
BEHIND-THE-SCENES TACTICIAN, THAT HE DEFINITELY CAN'T
COMMUNICATE IN AN AUTHENTIC WAY, THE WAY EVERYONE WANTS HIM
TO AND MEETS HIM TO.
>>WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THESE STATEMENTS -- TRUMP'S IS FOR HIS
BASE, IT'S A GOOD POINT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT THIS WAS AN
EFFORT TO GET PAST THE LAST MEETING HE TOOK FROM REPUBLICANS
FOR MAKING A DEAL WITH CHUCK AND NANCY, AND INITIALLY HE WAS
LIKE, THIS IS GREAT, WE GOT SOMETHING DONE.
BUT THEIR
RESPONSE ISN'T FOR US, IT IS FOR WASHINGTON.
CHUCK IS TALKING TO
OTHER DEMOCRATS AND THE MEDIA AND SETTING UP A MATTER OF HOW
THIS WILL PLAY OUT.
AND OF NOT BACKING DOWN TO TRUMP.
I GET
THAT, IT'S JUST FRUSTRATING, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THEY DON'T GET
THE VERY THING THAT CAUSED A CANDIDATE NOT LIKE BERNIE
SANDERS, BERNIE SANDERS, TO BREAKTHROUGH.
A DEGREE OF -- AND
TRUMP -- A DEGREE OF PLAINSPOKEN AUTHENTICITY THAT I WOULD TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF AGAIN AND AGAIN.
FIRST OF ALL, STOP SAYING THE
WORDS LEADER PELOSI, IT SOUNDS SUPER COMMUNIST.
>>IT SOUNDS STAR WARS AND COMMUNIST AT THE SAME TIME.
LEADER PELOSI MET WITH CHANCELLOR VELORUM THIS MORNING.
ALSO PART OF THE RESPONSE SHOULD BE TO POINT OUT SOMETHING ABOUT
TRUMP'S TWEET, OBVIOUSLY HE'S GOING, I'M GOING TO SHAKE YOU UP
BEFORE OUR MEETING TODAY, BUT I WANT THEM TO NOT ONLY SAY ARE
YOU DONE, IT'S RIDICULOUS THAT YOU ARE THROWING A TANTRUM, BUT
EVERYTHING YOU ARE SAYING IS LUDICROUS.
AND AS YOU SAID
EARLIER, NOBODY WANTS TO FLOOD THE STREETS WITH ANYTHING.
NOBODY WANTS TO DO THAT.
>>NOBODY LIKES A FLOOD.
>>NOBODY
WANTS TO RAISE YOUR TAXES, WE ARE TRYING TO GET YOU TO STOP
DOING THE THINGS YOU WERE DOING WITH TAXES, WHICH IS RAISING
TAXES, AND THEN IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE THAT WILL HAVE TO END UP
PAYING EFFECTIVELY A HIGHER TAX RATE IN THE NEAR AND FAR TERM.
>>NANCY PELOSI SAID EFFECTIVELY THE SAME THING SCHUMER DID, BUT
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS RESPONDED TO THIS, AS SHE IS SO CAPABLE
OF.
HERE IS WHAT SHE SAID --
>>STOP THE POLITICAL GRANDSTANDING -- YOU OPENED THE
DAY WITH A TWEET WITH A BUNCH OF CAPITAL LETTERS.
YOU WERE THE
ULTIMATE POLITICAL GRANDSTANDER.
>>AND THE MEETING THAT FOLLOWED WITH EMPTY SEATS, THAT IS
POLITICAL PETTINESS.
IF ANYTHING IT SHOWS HIS INABILITY TO TAKE
SOMETHING HE PRESENTS AS SO SERIOUS, NOT SERIOUSLY.
>>YOU MAKE A GREAT POINT.
THEY HAVE THE MEETING, THEY HAVE THE
EMPTY SEATS IN THE MEETING, AND THIS IS WHERE YOU HAVE TO BE
CAREFUL.
I'M NOT 100% SURE THAT THE DEMOCRATS WILL WIN THAT
BATTLE WITH THOSE EMPTY SEATS.
SO FAR EVERY SHUTDOWN THEY HAVE
WON, THEY ARE STANDING ON A MORE SIGNIFICANT PRINCIPLE HERE, A
TAX PLAN THAT HAS BEEN PRETTY ACCURATELY PORTRAYED AS BEING
MASSIVELY TOP-HEAVY, AND NOT JUST TOP-HEAVY IN THAT IT WILL
REDUCE THE INFLOW OF CASH INTO THE GOVERNMENT WHILE GIVING A
TAX BREAK TO THE PRESENT AMERICANS, BUT IT WILL ACTUALLY
PUT A TAX BURDEN ON THE POOREST AND MIDDLE-CLASS AMERICANS --
BUT AGAIN, THOSE THINGS ARE NOT SET IN STONE YET AS FAR AS THE
MESSAGE THAT PEOPLE ARE GETTING.
WE ARE IN A WORLD OF THEATRICS,
WHICH IS WHY I BEGAN THIS BY SAYING ULTIMATELY THEY WILL
EITHER MAKE A DEAL OR NOT, THE STORY WILL BE, DID THEY MAKE A
DEAL OR NOT?
AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
HERE WE ARE IN THE PART OF
WHO WILL LOOK BEST IF NO DEAL IS MADE?
>>AND THIS IS THE ONLY THING POLITICIANS HAVE TO DO ANYMORE.
THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE TO DO IS FUND THE GOVERNMENT.
CAN WE
IDENTIFY ONE MORE THING THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO DO?
BECAUSE
EVERYTHING ELSE CAN BE A PUNT DOWN THE ROAD.
NOW WITH THIS TAX
BILL WE HAVE THIS FEELING THAT WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING, DON'T
WE?
BUT THEY DON'T REALLY HAVE TO PASS THIS TAX BILL, THERE ARE
PEOPLE HOLDING OUT -- BUT THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE TO DO IS
PASS THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION TO FUND THE GOVERNMENT, AND IT
ALWAYS GETS THIS DRAMATIC THIS CLOSE TO IT AND IT IS REALLY
FRUSTRATING.
AND EVEN IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE WINNING
CERTAIN POINTS ALONG THE WAY IN THIS DISCUSSION, SOME PEOPLE
THINK THIS IS EXACTLY THE TAX BILL DISCUSSION, AND IT IS
REALLY DIFFICULT TO LATER ON DOWN THE LINE FIGURE OUT WHAT
THE HELL THIS MEETING WAS.
>>TO TAKE THIS INTO WHY -- THE DETAILS OF THE TAX BILL, THAT IS
WHAT MATTERS, NOT THIS STUFF.
THE DETAILS, IT DOESN'T MATTER
THAT TRUMP -- TRUMP IS A RACIST, OR AT A BARE MINIMUM A RACE
BAITER.
ANY REASONABLE PERSON AT A MINIMUM HAS TO ACCEPT THAT,
THAT HE PANDERS TO RACISTS.
SO WHEN HE CALLS ELIZABETH WARREN
POCAHONTAS IN FRONT OF LITERALLY THE PEOPLE --
>>HE THINKS THAT IS HER DAD.
>>IN FRONT OF PEOPLE WHO SACRIFICE WE SHOULD ALL BE
AMAZED BY AND ASHAMED THAT WE ASKED THEM TO MAKE THAT
SACRIFICE, THE MEMBERS OF THE NAVAJO NATION, WHO HAD EVERY
RIGHT TO SAY WE AREN'T GOING TO FIGHT IN YOUR WAR, DO YOU HAVE
ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE WITH US?
WE AREN'T IN MANY STATES
ALLOWED TO VOTE.
BUT I'M FALLING INTO IT AS WELL, WHAT MATTERS IS
THAT ELIZABETH WARREN, AND HER INTELLECTUAL BRAINCHILD, THE
CONSUMER PROTECTION BOARD, CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION
BOARD, THAT MATTERS.
THAT MIGHT BE THE STRONGEST PIECE OF
LEGISLATION, STRONGEST ACT, WE HAVE COME UP WITH THAT FOLLOWED
THE FINANCIAL CRISIS.
THAT MIGHT MEAN MORE TO REGULAR AMERICANS
THAN DODD-FRANK.
THAT THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION
BOARD, THAT MATTERS.
AND INSTEAD OF HAVING A LEGITIMATE DEBATE
ABOUT THAT BOARD, WE GET INTO A DEBATE THAT DONALD TRUMP IS
COMFORTABLE HAVING.
AM I RACIST?
HE IS COMFORTABLE WITH THAT.