WEAPONS IN THE PROCESS.
>> NBC’S MIKE MEMOLI’S OUTSIDE
THE WHITE HOUSE FOR US AND NBC’S
LEIGH ANN CALDWELL IS ON CAPITOL
HILL.
MIKE, LET ME START WITH YOU ONLY
BECAUSE WE JUST HEARD FROM
PRESIDENT BIDEN ON THIS ISSUE.
HE DID CALL TO RENEW THE ASSAULT
WEAPONS BAN THAT, OF COURSE, WAS
PASSED ORIGINALLY WHEN HE WAS IN
THE SENATE AND THEN ALLOWED TO
EXPIRE.
HE ALSO, OF COURSE, SPOKE ABOUT
THE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES
AND WHAT THEY’RE GOING THROUGH
RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS, OF COURSE,
SOMETHING JOE BIDEN AS YOU KNOW
SO WELL, HAS ENDURED SUCH
PERSONAL TRAGEDY IN HIS OWN
LIFE.
WHAT STOOD OUT TO YOU IN TERMS
OF WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE
PRESIDENT JUST A FEW MINUTES
AGO, MIKE?
>> WELL, KASIE, YOU MAY BE ABLE
TO HEAR THE ENGINES OF MARINE
ONE, THE PRESIDENT JUST TOOK OFF
BEHIND ME FROM THE SOUTH LAWN,
AS HE HEADS TO OHIO.
AS I WAS LISTENING TO HIS
REMARKS THOUGH A FEW MOMENTS AK,
ONE THING THAT WAS CLEAR TO ME
HAVING SPENT A LOT OF TIME
COVERINGS JOE BIDEN OVER A FEW
YEARS WAS THE DEGREE HE WENT OFF
SCRIPT ON SEVERAL MOMENTS.
FIRST OF ALL, PREEMPT SOME OF
THE REPORTERS’ QUESTIONS WHAT HE
LEARNED FROM HIS ATTORNEY
GENERAL, TEAM AT THE WHITE HOUSE
ABOUT THE MOTIVE THE SHOOTER AND
OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND THIS.
ALSO TO LEAN INTO, AND THE FIRST
TIME, FRANKLY, IN HIS NEARLY
NINE WEEKS NOW, TO THIS ISSUE OF
GUN SAFETY.
IF YOU REMEMBER DURING THE
COURSE OF THE CAMPAIGN, THIS
IDEA IN THE CROWDED DEMOCRATIC
PRIMARY THEN-CANDIDATE JOE BIDEN
WAS THE ONLY PERSON ON THAT
STAGE THAT HAD TAKEN ON THE NRA
AND DEFEATED THEM WAS SOMETHING
HE REALLY USED TO TRY TO
DISTINGUISH HIMSELF IN THAT
RACE.
THIS IS IN A LOT OF WAYS SORT OF
RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD IN THIS
MOMENT FOR THIS PRESIDENT.
YES, THE WHITE HOUSE HAS HAD
SOME MEETINGS WITH GUN SAFETY
ADVOCATES, WITH COMMUNITY
LEADERS ON THE MARGINS HERE.
THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF HAD NOT
DISCUSSED THE ISSUE OF GUNS
UNTIL LAST FRIDAY, WHEN HE WAS
IN ATLANTA TALKING ABOUT, OF
COURSE, THE SPA SHOOTINGS THERE.
HE CALLED IT A PUBLIC SAFETY,
PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS THAT WAS
UNFOLDING AT THIS POINT.
AND SO AFTER THE NEWTOWN
SHOOTING, WHEN BIDEN WAS THEN
VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT BIDEN
PUT HIM IN CHARGE OF A TASK
FORCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE TO LOOK
AT LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE
ACTIONS HE COULD TAKE.
WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANY THUS FAR
FROM THIS PRESIDENT NOW THAT
HE’S IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
SIGNIFICANTLY, AS YOU MENTIONED,
KASIE, IT WAS EIGHT YEARS AGO
THE MANCHIN/TOOMEY DEBATE REALLY
WAS IN FULL SWING ON CAPITOL
HILL.
IT GOT THAT MANCHIN-TOOMEY
AMENDMENT MORE THAN 50 VOTES BUT
NOT ENOUGH TO OVERCOME THE
FILIBUSTER AND THAT REMAINS THAT
OBSTACLE AT INTHIS POINT.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE SOUND, I ASKED
THEN-CANDIDATE BIDEN
SPECIFICALLY IF HE WOULD SUPPORT
ABOLISHING IT BEFORE THE
LEGISLATION.
WHAT HE SAID AT THAT TIME.
>> I THINK WE HAVE TO MAKE THAT
CALL, ENDING THE FILIBUSTER IS A
VERY DANGEROUS THING TO DO
BECAUSE IT’S BEEN USED BY
PROGRESSIVES OUR WHOLE TIME TO
MAKE SURE WE DID NOT GET ROLLED
OVER WHEN REPUBLICANS SAID, YOU
KNOW, YOU START OFF AND SAY
LET’S GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER,
IT SOUNDS GREAT UNTIL THEY OWN
IT ALL.
IT SOUNDS GREAT.
>> AS WE SEE THAT CHAOTIC SCENE
FROM THE IOWA STATE FAIR IN WHAT
FEELS LIKE A DIFFERENT ERA,
DIFFERENT LIFETIME.
IT’S WORTH NOTING POLITICALLY
THIS IS A VERY DIFFERENT MOMENT
AS WELL.
NOW THAT HE’S IN THE WHITE
HOUSE, THE PRESIDENT’S BROADER
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA MAY WILL
DEPEND ON ABOLISHING THE
FILIBUSTER.
WE HEARD THIS AMERICAN PRESIDENT
SAY HE’S FOR THE FIRST TIME,
EVEN WITH DECADES IN THE SENATE, SOMEONE MORE OF AN
SOMEONE MORE OF AN