Meet The Press - March 3, 2013

Guests:

House Speaker John Boehner – (R-OH)

Gene Sperling – White House economic advisor

Rep. Paul Labrador – (R-ID)

Tom Brokaw

Joy Reid

Kathleen Parker
Chuck Todd

*********************************

Gregory: Welcome Speaker Boehner-

what happened when you met 

with the President to discuss the 

disastrous sequester you both agreed to?

Boehner: I asked him to give

me a plan and he didn't have one

Gregory: he does have a balanced plan

– I saw it on the Internet

Boehner: if he had a plan why

wouldn't the Senate pass it

Gregory: why not agree to get rid 
of some tax loopholes like 

you said you wanted?

Boehner: I want tax reform –

by which I mean more tax cuts 

for rich people

Gregory: now we're getting somewhere

Boehner: Americans expect Washington

to cut spending since a Democrat

was elected President

Gregory: the President says you won't 

accept any deal no matter how good 

or fair or popular if it includes higher taxes

Boehner: that's right - Obama got his

higher taxes so that discussion is over

Gregory: you got 99% of the Bush tax cuts extended

Boehner: Obama got his tax hikes and

it's time for spending cuts

Gregory: Obama has proposed 

a lot of spending cuts

Boehner: look I've been here 20 years and

now is the time to cut entitlements and

never raise taxes ever again

Gregory: would you ever ever raise taxes

even if it was used to cut the deficit

Boehner: no we must never ever raise taxes

– however I would be willing to cut taxes

for rich people to create jobs

Gregory: there's no evidence that

cutting taxes create jobs

Boehner: yes there is - when 

Ronald Reagan cut taxes in 1981

Gregory: he also raised taxes and 

exploded the deficit

Boehner: that's not how I remember it

Gregory: Obama has also proposed chained CPI

Boehner: it's time for the Senate to pass a bill

with chained CPI in regular order

while the House talks about bills

we passed in a whole other Congress

Gregory: Congress left town – is that helpful?

Boehner: in my experience it can be

Gregory: so you will only accept 

spending cuts and no taxes 

Boehner: Obamacare raised taxes! 

We just raised taxes! Every American 

has to tighten their belts!

Gregory: you said the House should

not have to pass bills until the

Senate gets off their ass

Boehner: Obama created the 

sequester all by himself

Gregory: Republicans voted for it

Boehner: Obama demanded the sequester

in response to Republicans hostage-taking

so it's all his fault

Gregory: you budget plan repeals 

Obamacare and Dodd-Frank – 

is that realistic?

Boehner: here's the process – the House passes

a bill and then it expires and then we have a 

whole new Congress and then the House 

demands the Senate and President pass 

a bill while the House whines about the old bills

Gregory: That's not how it was on  

Schoolhouse Rock

Boehner: go buy the new unskewed version

Gregory: will the sequester hurt the economy?

Boehner: I have no idea what am I - an expert?

Gregory: is Obama exagerrating

the effect of the sequester?

Boehner: of course he is – I assume

Gregory: you called sequester dangerous

and said it would hurt national security

Boehner: why didn't Obama pass a bill in Congress?

Gregory: um - because he's not in Congress?

Boehner: that's a very poor excuse

Gregory: what about Bob Woordward?

Boehner: he proved Obama invented the sequester

Gregory: people think you are terrified 

of the tea party

Boehner: I am here to cut spending 

and taxes on rich people

Gregory: will Republicans shut

down the government?

Boehner: no – that's not going to happen

Gregory: so what happens next?

Boehner: cut spending!

Gregory: is any of this your fault?

Boehner: we've have tried really really

hard to get the President to do everything

we want and he just won't just because

he won an election and stuff

Gregory: will there be a vote on gun control?

Boehner: if the Senate acts first

Gregory: that sounds like a cop out

Boehner: the real problem is not guns

– it's mentally ill people with guns

Gregory: is the Voting Rights Act too

racial to be left to Congress?

Boehner: hey Congress is still relevant!

Gregory: you seem to hate your job

Boehner: it's not easy to cut spending

because people like spending but spending

became the greatest threat to America

when a Democrat got elected in 2008

[ break ]

Gregory: Gene why didn't Democrats

pass Obama's plan in the Senate?

Sperling: Democrats don't control the Senate

Gregory: even so

Sperling: the President cut spending and

cut the deficit and has a balanced plan out there

Gregory: but you know Republicans

can never accept higher taxes

Sperling: They've said they will

Gregory: well trust me they don't and won't

Sperling: Boehner put a trillion dollars

on the table and now he won't consider anything

Gregory: you should've taken that deal

Sperling: meanwhile Obama has

suggested tough things like chained CPI

Gregory: but the Senate didn't vote on that

Sperling: so Obama is the only adult in the room

Gregory: Obama said sequester would

hurt the military and cost jobs and now

he's says it's just dumb but not apocalyptic

Sperling: hey Fluffy it will cost 750,000

jobs and hurt small businesses

Gregory: Arne Duncan said teachers

will be fired and he exagerrated

Sperling: even Boehner said it would be

devastating and he's right – you can't just

cut $42 billion from defense and

not expect some impact

Gregory: a deep impact?

Sperling: Republicans will see job

losses in their districts

Gregory: Obama proposed the sequester

Sperling: Obama was threatened by Republicans

who demanded big cuts or they would

ruin America's credit rating

Gregory: you threatened to kill 

Bob Woodward's children

Sperling: no I threatened to choke his chicken

Gregory: you scared Woodward by politely

telling him he would regret saying sequester

was all Obama's fault

Sperling: I was very cordial with 
that whiny bastard

Gregory: does Obama support threatening reporters

by saying they will regret inacurrate reporting

Sperling: oh for god's sake Fluffy

Gregory: will there be a government shut down?

Sperling: not if the Republicans keep their word

Gregory: that doesn't sound like a 

strong commitment

Sperling: we shall see

[ break ]

Gregory: give us your wisdom Tom Brokaw

Brokaw: both sides are trying to win elections

Gregory: I am in awe

Brokaw: there is politics involed here

Gregory: you are a genius

Labrador: families have to cut spending

so of course the government should too

Gregory: makes sense

Labrador: Obama is going to inflict pain

on Republican districts because

Obama's real goal is to raise taxes

Gregory: the sequester is really 

great Tea Party victory isn't it?

Reid: this is why Republican want credit

for spending cuts while blaming the

President for the spending cuts

Parker: this is all good news for Republicans

Todd: Obama doesn't understand that

John Cornyn will lose his job if Obama

doesn't do what Republicans want

Gregory: that is so sad it makes me want to cry

Todd: maybe both sides secretly

like these sequester cuts - Democrats 

get big cuts to aircraft carriers 

and Republicans get to throw 

lazy kids off Head Start

Labrador: but Boehner increased taxes

and Obama moved the goalposts

Todd: you cut taxes on 99% of the people

Labrador: Obama keeps cheating by being popular

Gregory: is Gene Sperling really that scary?

Brokaw: journalists have become 
hyper-sensitive and the irony is my 
old friend Bob he does regret blowing this up

Gregory: do liberals have to accept 

cuts in Medicare?

Reid: maybe but luckily Washington

can't make a deal anyway

Gregory: why didn't the election solve this problem?

Parker: because Obama insists on an

unbalanced plan of higher taxes and spending cuts

instead of spending cuts and lower taxes

Gregory: I see

Parker: Republicans can't accept higher taxes at all

– they just can't -- it would permanently damage

their brand as intransigent ideologues who insist

on everything being exactly they want it

or they will smash things

Gregory: Scalia said the Voting Rights Act

is a perpetuation of racial entitlement and

that democracy cannot be trusted to voters

Reid: it was very nice to hear from

the 19^th century in our highest court

Labrador: hey I'm hispanic and I'm 

from freaking Idaho

Brokaw: I think we should expand

voting rights and let people vote on Saturday

Gregory: the sabbath?!

Brokaw: racial entitlement is pretty

coded phrase but Democrats limit voting too

Parker: it's not fair to treat different 

states differently

Gregory: tune in tomorrow to The

Today Show when Dennis Rodman

will give his insights on North Korea

Brokaw: you know I used to 

host the Today Show

Gregory: I know – I danced Gangnam

style in the 30 Rock plaza!

Brokaw: excuse I just remembered

I have to go kil myself

Gregory: and that's another

episode of Meet The Press

*********************************

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