Meet The Press – February 2, 2014

Guests:

Chuck Todd

Kelly O'Donnell

Gwen Ifill

Rich Lowry

Dennis McDonough (White House 

Chief of Staff)

State Rep. John Wisniewski (D-NJ)

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)

Bob Gibbs

Tony Dungy

Alan Schwartz

Gregory: Christie is being attacked

but please tell me this is all hype!!

Todd: he keeps throwing his

top people under the bus

Gregory: wise move

Todd: but they will turn on him

Gregory: so mean of them

Todd: he's now trying to save

his Governorship

Gregory: Christie has wisely said

Wildstein was a loser in high school

Ifill: that did not increase people's

faith in Christie's argument

O'Donnell: yesterday Christie

was booed by SuperBowl fans

Gregory: that's harsh

O'Donnell: then Team Christie

went after Wildstein calling

him a weirdo and geek

Gregory: snap

O'Donnell: Wildstein called him a liar

Gregory: this guy scares me

O'Donnell: Wildstein was high up

in the Port Authority – now he

wants them to pay his legal bills

Gregory: please attack Wildstein for me

Lowry: jeez recently you wanted

Christie to be President –

talk about a dizzying fall

Gregory: but but but Christie didn't

actually plan the lane closures

Gibbs: sorry Fluffy but David Wildstein

can destroy Christie

Gregory: noooooo!!!!

Gibbs: the state's biggest paper

says he may have to resign

or be impeached

Goodwin: Christie handled 

Hurricane Sandy so well

Gregory: yes yes yes

Goodwin: but this scandal makes 

him look like a bad manager

Gregory: Obama calls for 

a Year of Action

Obama: time for some action!

Gregory: what happened to health care

and gun control and climate change?

McDonough: the minimum wage

is a big deal to people who benefit

Gregory: what happened to health care

and gun control and climate change?

McDonough: also we're going wire

50,000 schools and hook 20 million

kids to the Internet

Gregory: but he had big ambitions

and now he's given up

McDonough: now he's trying to

help real people and he won't

wait for Congress

Gregory: the President doesn't

get credit for a rescued economy

McDonough: true but we have

keep going forward

Gregory: is the Keystone Pipeline

ready to go forward?

McDonough: not if it impacts the climate

Gregory: the State Dept said it won't

McDonough: but the climate is still

a big deal – look at the drought

in California

Gregory: but what would stop Obama

from approving it now?

McDonough: we're insulating

the decision from politics

Gregory: how are you doing that

McDonough: we're waiting for the EPA

Gregory: what about immigration reform?

McDonough: we can't have a

permanent underclass in America

Gregory: what's one change you

could accept Obamacare?

McDonough: all the GOP want to do is repeal it

Gregory: is the law perfect?

McDonough: no it isn't Fluffy

Gregory: aha!

McDonough: let's help people and

improve the law as needed

Gregory: will the Olympics be safe?

McDonough: maybe

Gregory: is the President a

liability to Democrats?

McDonough: we're going to wire schools!

Gregory: should Democrats 

in Congress campaign 

with the President?

McDonough: I don't give a 

crap what they do

Gregory: is the GOP a party of ideas?

McDonough: yes – all bad ideas

Gregory: would you let your 

kids play football?

McDonough: did you know the

U.S. Army has the best research

on head injuries?

Gregory: Broncos or Seahawks?

McDonough: Broncos

[ break ]

Gregory: some guy at the NAACP

called you a ventriloquist dummy

Scott: they don't know me – I grew up

poor and started my own business

Gregory: impressive

Scott: I'm focused on opportunity

Gregory: Colin Powell said the Republican

party is intolerant – is that right?

Scott: no – the GOP has become

the opportunity party

Gregory: what else

Scott: having a job is a good thing –

conservatives believe in the best

and brightest future

Gregory: the GOP gave four different

responses to the State of the Union

– is it a party in total chaos?

Scott: not at all – we're just diverse!

Gregory: is Obamacare here to stay?

Scott: I've voted 40 times

to repeal the law

Gregory: time well spent indeed

Scott: Obamacare eliminated

the 40-hour week

Gregory: I see

Scott: we must eliminate

the medical device tax!

Gregory: go on

Scott: also the law takes $800 billion

out of pockets of small businesses

Gregory: thanks for coming Scott

[ break ]

Gregory: is Obama a dictator?

Goodwin: Lincoln and and FDR

and JFK all used executives orders

Gregory: perhaps

Goodwin: his whole Presidency is

setting in motion long-term

progress on peace and

social justice and equality

Lowry: Obama is exhausted and

weak with petty ideas and

also he's a vicious dictator

Gibbs: he was talking to the

people about doing things for them

Gregory: interesting concept

Gibbs: now the GOP has

to have ideas of their own

Gregory: well they tried

everything else

Ifill: they are only focused

on opposing the President

Gibbs: they can't get away

with that forever

Ifill: conservative Democrats in

oil-rich states want more

oil from Canada

Todd: the State Dept put

Obama is a tough spot on tar sands

Gregory: sounds sticky

Todd: Obama ran on changing

the tone in Washington and he's

clearly given up on that and

historians will write about that

Goodwin: historians will write that

Washington DC was broken and

partisan before he got here

Todd: but he didn't change it!!

Gregory: Maureen Dowd says the

big issue in 2016 will be Monica Lewinsky

Gibbs: LOL where was David Wildstein

when all this was happening?!?

Ifill: Maureen Dowd needs Monica

like a plant needs water

Lowry: Rand Paul was just riffing on Monica

Gregory: well it was a well-planned riff

Lowry: Hillary is not Hope & Change 2.0

Gregory: Clinton v Bush is not change!

Gibbs: people want to see the

candidate articulate an American Vision

[ break ]

Gregory: welcome Assemblyman

– what's up with Bridgegate?

Wisniewski: Wildstein says Christie lied

Gregory: you can't believe Wildstein!

Wisniewski: there are definitely

questions about his allegations

Gregory: don't believe him!!

Wisniewski: we're investigating

everything Fluffy

Gregory: do you have any reason

to disbelieve Chris Christie??

Wisniewski: we have a hell of a

lot of questions that have

not been answered

Gregory: what about the federal

investigator – will he shut you down?

Wisniewski: no – we're all working together

Gregory: damn

Wisniewski: we want answers

Gregory: you alleged an

impeachable offense

Wisniewski: using the Bridge for

political revenge is against the

law or it should be

Gregory: but people will say 

anything against poor Chris Christie 

to save themselves

Wisniewski: maybe

Gregory: you're not after Christie?

Wisniewski: no

Gregory: would you like to 

see him stay in office?

Wisniewski: that's up to the idiots

who elected him in the first place

Gregory: don't you have a 

responsibility to get Republicans 

on board your investigation?

Wisniewski: no

Gregory: but you must have proof

that Christie personally ordered the

closing or you will be a partisan failure!

Wisniewski: this isn't about the Governor

– it's about known corruption of a state agency

Gregory: but's all about the Governor!!

He's Chris Christie!

Wisniewski: we know someone in

the Governor's inner circle ordered

corruption of a state agency –

we just want to how high the corruption goes

Gregory: thanks for coming

[ break ]
 

Gregory: full disclosure – my wife

is a lawyer for the NFL and worked

on the concussion settlement

Gregory: a judge rejected this

settlement for being inadequate

Schwartz: these retired players

could develop brain problems in

the future – so who knows how

much will be needed!

Dungy: I had concussions –

players love to play

Gregory: did the NFL cover up head injuries?

Schwartz: Dungy has a conflict

of interest – he could get

$500,000 out of this deal

Gregory: people are worried

about letting their kids play football

Dungy: severe head injuries are down 13%

Gregory: but what if kids 
stop playing football?

Dungy: ACL surgeries are so great 

now a player can tear up his knee 

and be back during the same season

Gregory: that is wonderful

Dungy: kids are even wearing 

mouthpieces now

Gregory: aren't we all mouthpieces now?

Dungy: in a way

Gregory: is football doomed?

Schwartz: no no no –

football will be just fine

Gregory: Alex Smith reported a

concussion and lost his job

Dungy: I never had a player not

tell me about a head injury

Gregory: how would you know?

Dungy: players want to play!

Schwartz: the NFL will someday

have a rule that you can't crush

a child in the head

Gregory: dare to dream

Gregory: who wins the game today?

Dungy: I have faith in Peyton

Gregory: and that's another

episode of Meet The Press