Meet The Press – December 22, 2013

Guests:

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Sen. Tom Coburn (R- OK)

Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK)

Rep. Peter King (R-NY)

Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT)

Christine Lagarde (IMF)

Robert Gibbs

E.J Dionne

David Brooks

Ana Navarro

Gregory: OMG some reporter asked

Obama if this is the worst year of

his Presidency ha ha ha

Dionne: no his worst year was 2011

Navarro: it was so bad by next year

Obama will be drinking whiskey!

Brooks: Worst. Year. Ever

Gibbs: he might start drinking

whiskey to celebrate the growing economy

Gregory: Chuck even the liberal

Wall Street Journal says

Obamacare is failing

Schumer: Obamacare is a great law

and most people care about the economy

Gregory: Tom Coburn how you answer

the charge that Obamacare is bad?

Coburn: I must reluctantly agree

that Obamacare is terrible

Gregory: that must have been

hard for you to admit

Coburn: we have been demanding exceptions

and now I can't believe Obama has

granted all these exceptions

Gregory: it's outrageous

Schumer: Obamacare is working in

New York state buddy

Gregory: there has been some bipartisan

agreement but here's the bottom line –

Congress hasn't take on the hard stuff

Coburn: the problem isn't when we

disagree it's when we agree to spend

$80 billion on fraud for Obamacare

which are guaranteed to have

Gregory: will we have another

fight over the debt ceiling?

Schumer: the GOP has learned

its lesson on that

Gregory: Obama said you're trying

to look tough on Iran

Schumer: the best way to get Iran to

give up nukes is to increase sanctions

– it's simple and logical

Gregory: right

Schumer: we have to be tough!

Gregory: thanks for coming – happy holidays

Coburn: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[ break ]

Gregory: Madame how about

the U.S. economy?

Legarde: we sign a lot of good signs

Gregory: a lot of people are worried

about what the Fed is doing and by a

lot of people I mean my Republican friends

Lagarde: tapering is a good sign

Gregory: sure the numbers make Obama

look good but our animal spirits are not roaring

Lagarde: merde! Are you stupide or zomething

Gregory: je ne sais quoi

Lagarde: unemployment iz going down

Gregory: what about the minimum

wage and inequality?

Lagarde: income inequality is important

in that it leads to less growth which

hurts rich people

Gregory: Is American the world's economic

leader or are led by irresponsible idiots?

Lagarde: both

Gregory: what about the debt ceiling

Lagarde: I hope American doez not

flirt with default

Gregory: why aren't more women managers?

Lagarde: it's historically based male chauvinism

Gregory: sounds right

Lagarde: promoting women makes

economic sense all over the world

Gregory: are you running for President of France?

Lagarde: mon dieu! non

Gregory: but you wouldn't rule it out?

Lagarde: you are a very silly person

Gregory: that wasn't Shermanesque!

[ break ]

Gregory: Inhofe is a passionate pilot

but last month his son died in plane crash

Inhofe: we're not sure what went wrong

Gregory: how are you doing?

Inhofe: you don't how it feels

until it happens to you

Gregory: you have a strong faith

Inhofe: yes

Gregory: we hear in Washington nothing

gets done but you got a lot of support

from your colleagues

Inhofe: I got as much or more

support from my Democrat friends

Gregory: even Harry Reid

Inhofe: indeed

Gregory: can you bring this

good feeling to you work

Inhofe: yes but many liberals still

think we don't need a strong military

Gregory: what's your biggest challenge

Inhofe: coping with loss

[ break ]

Gregory: as a person of faith I am

impressed with Inhofe but it's sad that

we were surprised that Democrats

offered him support

Navarro: let's take politics out of this

man's death in a plane crash

Gregory: I can't

[ break ]

Gregory: OMG the health care website

was botched! What makes you think

2014 will be better??

Gibbs: because the website was fixed

Brooks: the American people don't like

individual mandates anymore ever

since a Democrat was reelected

Dionne: Obamacare is a Republican

market-oriented model for

health care reform

Brooks: but that was Obama endorsed it

and Republicans hated their plan

Dionne: oh right I forgot

Gregory: Edmund Burke said

government is bad

Navarro: I am very worried that

people don't trust Obama anymore

Dionne: this is insane! Every advanced

country but America uses government

to deliver health care!

Gibbs: also there is GOP no alternative

Navarro: yes but people will

still be sick and hate

Gregory: isn't the crux of the matter

that people hare

Brooks: America is not France –

we just don't like people telling us what to do

Dionne: no one wants to repeal Medicare

Gregory: some people do

Navarro: Obamacare is like the 

hispanic saying that the

cure is worse than the disease

Gibbs: hispanics want health too

Navarro: but Obama was slow in

building a spanish language website

to give health care to people!

Dionne: yes we're all familiar with

the Republican website in Spanish

to give people health care

Gregory: some guy on Duck Dynasty

hates gays and think civil rights laws

were bad for black people

Brooks: he's disrespectful and

not terribly Christian

Gregory: but he's a victim of political

correctness and conservatives are a

held to a double standard!

Dionne: no that's totally false

conservative spin Fluffy

Navarro: there is no Constitutional

right to say stupid stuff and

still host a tv show

Gregory: there isn't – oh shit

Gibbs: no there isn't – networks

pay you to be their face

in-between advertisements

Gregory: wow an Obama panel recommends

changes to surveillance programs

Gregory: Ed Snowden wrote a letter

saying he revealed worldwide surveillance

King: Ed Snowden is a traitor

Gregory: is Snowden right that

surveillance is collapsing?

King: why we are debating what Snowden

is saying is totally beyond me

Leahy: Snowden is irrelevant –

we need to limit the NSA

Gregory: what about metadata?

Leahy: the NSA let a 29-year old

contractor steal all their stuff!

Gregory: what about metada?

Leahy: we need spying but we

also need accountability

King: there were no abuses!

There's nothing to rein in!

Gregory: but abuse could happen

King: police could abuse their

powers too but they don't

Gregory: no?

King: no Fluffy!

Gregory: what about dialing

back foreign surveillance?

Leahy: a 29-year old subcontractor

stole their secrets!

Gregory: you said that already

Leahy: I did?

Gregory: why not limit the NSA?

Leahy: I tried but can't

King: dammit – I lost friends on 9/11!!

we can't unilaterally surrender to the terrorists!

Brooks: if Dwight Eisenhower were

here he would be outraged and

suggest slight changes to surveillance

Brooks: but Snowden is not a

hero he's a traitor

Gregory: why can't Congress

conduct reasonable rational

oversight over national security

Navarro: what are you drinking

and I can I have some

Dionne: after 9/11 we all went crazy

and now we're calming down

Gibbs: why not house phone information

with phone companies and then

access it with a warrant?

Gregory: my sister-in-law is a cop

and she says its all good

Navarro: privacy vs security

is a tough nut to crack

Gregory: this was great episode –

I got to mention my sister in law and Edmund Burke!