Meet The Press - October 31, 2010

Guests:
John Brennan - White House counterterrorism advisor
Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS)
Tim Kaine - DNC Chair
Tom Brokaw
Chuck Todd
Michelle Norris
Charlie Cook
Mark Halperin
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Gregory: are there explosive packages still
out there and should this affect my trick or treating?

Brennan: absolutely

Gregory: so I should be very frightened?

Brennan: at all times

Gregory: Is the same group behind the
Christmas Day plot to drop wrapped packages
down our chimneys?

Brennan: yes and they targeted synagogues
so they covered their bases

Gregory: were they tying to exploit the fact there
are no passengers on cargo planes which could be very threatening?

Brennan: right

Gregory: that sounds terrifying

Brennan: it is

Gregory: but there’s a huge loophole because
cargo isn’t screened!

Brennan: yes terrorists may just start mailing bombs marked “you may already be a winner”

Gregory: I love those

Brennan: who wouldn’t open one of those?

Gregory: is Al-Qaeda evolving?

Brennan: yes like primates into humans

Gregory: amazing

[ break ]

Gregory: Gov. Barbour what is this election about?

Barbour: it’s about excessive spending
and debt

Gregory: it’s a repudiation of Republicans?

Barbour: no no - see after 30 years of doing the opposite the GOP is now against spending and debt and deficits

Gregory: oh I see

Kaine: look we cut the deficit and they said their only goal is to make Obama a one-term President

Barbour: this is biggest lurch to the left since FDR and people hate that guy

Gregory: give me your prediction

Barbour: Pain!

Gregory: you said politicians will run on
healthcare and none of them are

Kaine: that’s a lie

Gregory: maybe but it’s a good story

Kaine: you sure seem to love it

Gregory: most Dems are not running on health care reform

Kaine: that’s just not true

Barbour: oh lawdy oh mah stars

Gregory: Gov. Barbour I love your ideas but can
you really keep your promises to cut medicare and spending?

Barbour: anyone can cut $100 billion

Gregory: so why don’t you say how you will do it?

Barbour: aww hawgwash

Gregory: can you really please repeal health care reform?

Barbour: we’ll try Flaffy

Gregory: can there be bipartisanship?

Kaine: we’re going to force the GOP to cut
social security

Gregory: wow!

Barbour: skyrockin debt!

Kaine: we saved the auto industry

Barbour: who is the left of Obama I mean who
spent more than him??

Kaine: Nixon Ford Reagan Bush and Bush

Barbour: well except for them

[ break ]

Gregory: can the GOP take the Senate?

Todd: Nevada is fascinating because you have a milquetoast senate majority leader up against an utter lunatic

Gregory: that’s very interesting

Todd: in the House Democrats are playing
an away game

[ break ]

Gregory: so roundtable what do voters want?

Brokaw: my keen insight says people are mad and believe everything they see on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

Cook: this is a Parliament election

Gregory: Funkadelic!

Cook: the GOP is going to explode!

Gregory: people are very angry but then again we have a very controversial rally for sanity

Norris: those horrible progressives should have been out canvassing instead of attending a rally

Gregory: indeed they should shower and get a job and knock on doors

Norris: voters are very pragmatic and want something done so will vote for a person who
wants to bring a chicken to the doctor

Halperin: the rally for sanity was the Angry Left like the Beck rally was the Angry Right

Todd: the next 2 years will be a war of the White House vs. the House of Representatives

Gregory: ooh cool

Todd: we don’t know how crazy the House will be - Batshit Insane or merely Totally Psycho

Cook: by ten p.m. election night returns should tell us the results of the election

Gregory: truly you have amazing insight

Gregory: Mark Halperin you say Obama is a compromising moderate who is too far left

Brokaw: Obama does the right things but he is an emotionless Vulcan

Halperin: Obama doesn’t fight for the
American people

Norris: he hasn’t made the case for his own Presidency

Gregory: I don’t care what the truth is and I have studied this and precious few Democrats are running with the President

Brokaw: I was on the Internet and the President
is very unpopular

Gregory: that walrus doing exercises is a clear repudiation of Obamacare

Brokaw: #warble

Gregory: #ihateobama

Gregory: wow that race is Florida is crazy and it’s bad for Democrats there!

Norris: forget that - it will crush Democrats
across the nation!

Gregory: the bloggersphere is angry!

Cook: that’s silly

Gregory: what is the GOP planning?

Brokaw: the tea party wants to repeal health care, social security drug benefits and the law of gravity

Gregory: what will Obama do?

Halperin: he’s got to stop being so passive where he justs sit back and enacts stimulus, health care reform, financial reform - he’s go to do something!

Gregory: he’s so lazy - people hate him!

Todd: there is going to be a big budget fight in 2011!

Gregory: wow that sounds like much fun

Todd: the tea party will offer a chance for Obama to create a rift in the GOP

Brokaw: they are an odd bunch

Gregory: people want politicians to work together

Halperin: that’s not the tea party’s m.o.

Gregory: what about the war?

Brokaw: which one?

Gregory: Afghanistan

Brokaw: the war against Islamic Rage

Gregory: ooh that’s a fun one too

Brokaw: we should talk about how a small number
of troops are doing all the fighting

Audience: should we have had the conversation
in 2001?

Cook: everyone assumed Obama would be weak on defense but it turns out he’s soft on jobs

Todd: the tea party are isolationists so we might as well pull out of Afghanistan

Cook: the GOP is going to have an unearned win this election because there are no jobs

Todd: Feingold losing would hurt Obama in 2012

Brokaw: Reagan’s approval ratings were worse than Obama’s after 2 years

Gregory: Dutch?? [ sobs ]

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Special Halloween Episode - 2009