Meet The Press – September 29, 2013

Guests:

Kelly O'Donnell

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)

Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID)

Gary Samore

Andrea Mitchell

Dee Dee Myers

Jon Hunstman

Chris Matthews

Gregory: OMG the government 

is going to shut down!

O'Donnell: the GOP will shut down the

entire federal government unless the

Dems cut taxes on medical devices

Gregory: that's eminently reasonable

Gregory: welcome Ted Cruz – are you in

control of the federal government?

Cruz: Obamacare is hurting millions of people

and polls show the American people hate it

Gregory: polls say a majority 

want to uphold the law

Cruz: I don't care about polls – 

just hold a town hall and watch 

the crazies roll -bussed in by 

the Koch brothers

Gregory: what about the government shutdown?

Cruz: Harry Reid should call the Senate back

Gregory: the Senate just voted

Cruz: yes but Harry Reid told the

American people to jump in a lake

Gregory: I see

Cruz: Harry Reid said 'I will shut 

down the government'

Gregory: he passed a bill to keep it open

Cruz: yes but with Obamacare which I don't like

Gregory: of course – my mistake

Cruz: Harry Reid likes corporations

more than little people

Gregory: you don't want to change

the law – you want to kill it

Cruz: no the Democrats are the

real extremists and purists

Gregory: how so?

Cruz: we only want to delay the law not kill it

– why won't Democrats compromise?

Gregory: because it's law and we had a

Presidential election and it was upheld by the

Supreme Court and 56% say they want the law

Cruz: but I hate Obamacare

Gregory: that's it?

Cruz: Jimmy Hoffa said Obamacare

is destroying America

Gregory: so why don't you pass a

law changing the law?

Cruz: Harry Reid is a thug

Gregory: what else

Cruz: Obama keeps ignoring the law

benefiting big corporations and

ignoring single moms and their

right not to have health care

Gregory: Obama says Ted Cruz is really

terrified that people will like Obamacare

Cruz: it's not working!

Gregory: it hasn't been implemented yet

Cruz: Obamacare is killing jobs

Gregory: not the recession?

Cruz: no Obamacare caused the

recession in 2007

Gregory: what is your plan for giving

people health insurance?

Cruz: canceling Obamacare to create jobs

Gregory: that's it?

Cruz: SeaWorld had to fire Shamu!

Gregory: do you want a government shut down?

Cruz: yes but we should pay our soldiers

Gregory: that's not much of a plan

Cruz: Obama is holding the 

American military hostage

Gregory: by the way you don't have the

votes to overturn Obamacare even if

it came to a vote

Cruz: that's true but things could change

Gregory: that's a terrible argument

Cruz: Congress is exempt from the exchanges!

Gregory: that's not true

Cruz: the American people don't like Washington

Gregory: no one likes you either

Cruz: big businessesmen should have 

to have medical insurance also

Gregory: they do

Cruz: that can't be true

Gregory: Dems don't like you but

Republicans despise you

Cruz: some of them

Gregory: Peter King calls you a fraud

and George Will thinks you've lost your mind

Cruz: we must delay Obamacare!

Gregory: what else?

Cruz: Harry Reid hates the American

people and holds them hostage

Gregory: who is the legislator you most admire?

Cruz: Phil Graham for killing Hillarycare

and banking regulations and then

cashing in after leaving the Senate

Gregory: that is admirable

Cruz: remember when the American 

people rose up against Obama's attempt 

to start a war in the middle east

Gregory: you compared Obamacare

to Nazi Germany

Cruz: no I compared myself to those who

bravely went to the moon, fought the Civil War

and won World War II

Gregory: you're shamelessly running for President

Cruz: Obamacare is killing jobs

Gregory: there's no evidence for that

Cruz: that could be true Fluffy

Gregory: thanks for coming

[ break ]

Gregory: wow – there might be peace

between America and Iran!

Mitchell: amazing

Gregory: what led Iran to this point?

Samore: it's simple Fluffy – 

Obama's economic sanctions

Mitchell: will Iran really give in though?

Gregory: maybe

Mitchell: they spent billions on a 

heavy water reactor – it's not like can 

convert it into a swimming pool or a wine cellar

Gregory: how can we stop them building a nuke?

Samore: the U.S. will demand strict limits

Gregory: but we've had inspections before

Samore: this would go beyond that –

they'd have to file weekly TPS reports

Gregory: but Iran is very scary

Mitchell: but if it works it could be an incredible

breakthrough – it could remake the whole region

Gregory: interesting – but Bibi doesn't trust Iran

Samore: Obama won't trust them 

– but we have to try

Gregory: is Iran faking or is this real?

Samore: the sanctions are real

Mitchell: the problem is that Obama is

not tough enough because he didn't

bomb Syria like he said he would

Gregory: But Syria blinked

Mitchell: look all Democrats are wimps and

all Republicans are tough – I have to repeat

this for the rest of my life

Gregory: who gets blamed in 

a government shutdown?

Matthews: Obamacare was enacted into

law and Ted Cruz has some vision

that it must meet his approval or we

don't get a budget

Labrador: Obama has delayed 

the law for his friends and all 

we asking for is a one-year delay

Myers: you're tried 41 times to repeal

the law and now in desperation

you are demanding shut down

of the entire government

Huntsman: Bob Corker is a hero 

for standing up to the crazies

Gregory: he is awesome

Huntsman: we created health insurance

exchanges in Utah to see if it works

Gregory: forget the substance – look at politics

Huntsman: you are petty

Gregory: I love petty politics

Matthews: Obama is not going to 

compromise on his greatest achievement

Huntsman: government shutdown is

a loser for Republicans

Labrador: that's true

Huntsman: so why do it

Labrador: Democrats want a government

shutdown so they can blame Republicans

who want a shutdown

Gregory: I see

Labrador: John Boehner is willing to negotiate

Gregory: John Boehner hates your guts

Labrador: Tip O'Neill shut down the

government 10 times

Matthews: that's not true

Gregory: why can't Obama shut down

the government over something he wants?

Labrador: you're taking away our 

First Amendment right to protest

Matthews: you're crazy

Labrador: Obama crammed his law down

the throats of American people by using

Democracy which is unfair

Matthews: but holding the government

hostage is fair?

Labrador: exactly!

Myers: people will like Obamacare

Gregory: will you refuse to raise the debt

ceiling over Obamacare?

Labrador: no I will refuse to pay America's

bills to get what I want on other issues

Gregory: Chris you have a book about

compromise in politics – Ted Cruz hates that

Matthews: Tip O'Neil and Reagan were

both popular and both compromised

Gregory: amazing

Matthews: O'Neil and Reagan were

drinking buddies after 6:00 p.m.

Gregory: alcohol – is the no problem 

it can't solve?

Matthews: Maybe Obama and Boehner

could smoke together – ha!

Gregory: McConnell and Rand Paul

could bond over meth

Matthews: no you're talking

Gregory: sadly the Tip/Gipper are gone

and now politicians demand what they want

or the government shuts down

Matthews: it was old-fashioned horse trading

Gregory: what is Obama's 

problem with horseplay?

Matthews: Reagan was better at

connecting with other politicians also

he was popular with white people

Gregory: good point

Matthews: one was a passionate conservative

and another a die-hard liberal but they

both liked each other

Gregory: mister we could use

two old Irishmen again!

Matthews: those were the days!