Meet The Press – March 8, 2015

Guests:

Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)
Curt Schilling

Jonathan Martin

Kathleen Parker

Manu Raju

Amy Walter

Todd: OMG Hillary Clinton had a

private e-mail system which is

the biggest scandal ever!

Obama: all my blackberry 

records are archived

Todd: you still use a blackberry?

Obama: once you go blackberry 

you never go back

Todd: this plays into perceptions

that the Clintons play by their

own set of rules

Audience: damn Clintons

Todd: she turned over 90% of e-mails

but she chose which ones

Audience: just like Jeb

Todd: the Clintons follow the letter

of the law but not the spirit of the law

Ghost: I am the spirit of scandals past!

Todd: it plays to a narrative

Audience: oh no not the narrative

Todd: Obama called her secretive in 2008

Todd: also Clinton has been 

accepting foreign donations!

Audience: it's scandalpalooza

Todd: Clinton attacked secret

e-mail accounts in 2008

Todd: also Benghazi!

[ break ]

Todd: Senator do you see a

problem with this perception-wise?

Feinstein: there was no law

only vague regulations

Todd: yes but perception-wise this is bad

Feinstein: other Secretaries of State

used personal e-mail accounts too

Todd: true including Colin Powell

Feinstein: she needs to explain

what she did and why

Todd: like what was the deal

with this home brew server?

Feinstein: right

Todd: will we still be fighting

al-Qaeda in thirty years?

Feinstein: yes

Todd: whoa

Feinstein: we should pass an

unlimited authorization to use

all force against ISIS

Todd: is that a blank check?

Feinstein: damn right – we need

to give the President a blank check!

Todd: will that crush ISIS?

Feinstein: we need the Sunnis

to step and kill ISIS!

Todd: they're not doing it yet

Feinstein: Iran is invading the middle east!

Todd: but Iran is our ally against ISIS

Feinstein: we need Russia and

Iran to help us defeat Syria!

Todd: okay

Feinstein: but we need

Syria to help us defeat ISIS!

Todd: damn this is complicated

Feinstein: this is why we need

a nuclear agreement with Iran

Todd: wait so we need to cut a deal

with Iran so they will help us defeat ISIS?

Feinstein: it couldn't hurt

Todd: what about Bibi's speech to Congress?

Feinstein: that's not how an ally acts

Todd: strong words

Feinstein: Bibi is arrogant and

he tried humiliate our President

Todd: what about Bob Menendez?

Feinstein: I wish him well

Todd: do you think he should 

continue in the Senate?

Feinstein: of course

Todd: thanks for coming

[ break ]

Todd: Welcome Lindsey

Graham: good morning Charles 

Todd: what about Iran?

Graham: I'd rather do nothing and

let them build a bomb than do

something and let them build a bomb

Todd: they're helping us against ISIS

Graham: maybe but they're not good guys

Todd: but Iraq is our ally and they like Iran

Graham: Iran is our true enemy!

Todd: not ISIS?

Graham: yes they are

an evil regime!

Todd: don't mince words Linds

Graham: they are religious fanatics!

Todd: wow

Graham: I fear Iran more than ISIS

Todd: do you really?

Graham: yes I fear them very much

Todd: how much fear do you have?

Graham: I have so much fear Todd

Todd: unemployment is now

the lowest since 2008

Graham: that's not good enough!

Todd: we've got the best

nationwide job growth since 1984

Graham: those are terrible numbers

Todd: you don't see any 
good news here?

Graham: no one is looking for work!

Todd: okay

Graham: Obamacare will kill jobs someday!

Todd: I see

Graham: those evil Sunnis are

trying to drive down the price of oil!

Todd: do you have a private e-mail account?

Graham: I have never sent

a single e-mail in my life

Todd: way to stay in touch

Graham: I'm just being smart

Todd: what will the e-mails 
reveal about Benghazi?

Graham: did Clinton use the

word terror in real time?

Todd: what a salient question

[ break ]

Todd: is this e-mail scandal the

greatest scandal is history?

Walter: this feeds into the narrative

that she's Hillary Clinton

Todd: she's not defending herself!

Raju: it's going to fester and hurt her

Martin: Democrats who would

defend her don't know what to say

Todd: Republicans hid their e-mails too

Parker: but they're the Clintons so it's worse

Todd: they are secretive

Parker: they are controlling

Martin: it's not the e-mails – it's that

Americans don't trust the Clintons

Todd: right

Martin: it's the narrative!

Parker: she's hiding something!

Todd: does Biden jump in?

Walter: no

Raju: there's no Democratic bench!

Todd: omg the Republicans are

at an actual cattle call in Iowa!

O'Donnell: Jeb talked up his conservative

credentials but didn't shy away from

being soft on immigration

Todd: interesting

O'Donnell: people in Iowa were

interested in what he had to say

Todd: anyone else making news?

O'Donnell: I was surprised at good receptions

for Chris Christie and even George Pataki

Todd: George who?

O'Donnell: but the man of the

hour is still Scott Walker

Todd: thanks Kelly

Obama: what could be more American

than the downtrodden coming together

than change the course of the nation?

State Senator: much has changed

but there are still two Selmas –

we got to different churches and

our kids are in separate schools

High School Principal: 90% of our students

are African-American and many get free lunch

State Senator: Selma is not 

yet the shining example that 

we hoped it would be

Todd: there was violence just to

prevent people from trying to vote –

including John Lewis who was badly injured

[ break ] 

Todd: welcome Congressman Lewis

Lewis: good morning Chuck

Todd: what are your memories of Selma?

Lewis: it was an orderly peaceful

non-violence walk to register to vote

 

Todd: so far so good

Lewis: we were arrested and beaten

Todd: wow

Lewis: we saw a sea of Alabama 

state troopers and they said it 

was an unlawful march

Todd: then what happened?

Lewis: we tried to kneel and pray

Todd: you were kneeling?

Lewis: they beat us with sticks

and trampled us with horses

Todd: damn

Lewis: I was beaten and

lost consciousness

Todd: it would be totally
understandable if you were bitter

Lewis: I was bitter back then

but I'm not bitter now

Todd: why not?

Lewis: I found the way of non-violence

and peace as a way of life

Todd: impressive

Lewis: we were taught never to

hate even if we were killed

Todd: I feel like we Americans are 
self-segregating by race and class

Lewis: we have a long way to go

Todd: Ferguson and Staten Island

seem to have created a new movement

among young people

Lewis: and Florida

Todd: right

Lewis: they are saying we 

must take action against racism 

and inequality and injustice

Todd: gosh the rate of uninsured

dropped in half in Arkansas and Kentucky 

Todd: they are red states with Democratic governors

Todd: some states had no drop but

Massachusetts was already covering everyone

Todd: the rate of uninsured went up in

Kansas but they rejected Obamacare

[ break ]

Todd: last week we talked about how

both sides are to blame for a Republican

politician committing suicide over 

a Republican whispering campaign 

that he was Jewish

Todd: to condemn bullying here

is Claire McCaskill

Todd: Senator was this the politics

of personal destruction?

McCaskill: definitely – although it

was an extreme reaction over

having a Jewish grandparent

Todd: this drives people out of public office!

McCaskill: voters have to punish candidates

who play to lowest common denominator

Todd: the problem is the internet!

Schilling: it is the Internet!

Todd: right

Schilling: my message to the young

kids is the Internet is forever

Todd: people like me saw you go

after online bullies and said thank

god someone did that

Schilling: damn right I am heroic for

defending my daughter online

Todd: what new laws do we need

Schilling: I don't blame the Internet –

I blame a permissive society

McCaskill: we need to go after

the dark money in politics

Todd: Curt are you over the Internet

Schilling: not at all I don't let bullies

drive me off the twitter machine!

Todd: well I think we all want to

get toxicity out of politics

Todd: 42% of primary voters don't 

like Jeb Bush – the only ones with 

higher negatives are Graham and 

Christie and Trump

Martin: all they know is his name

is Bush and he supports common

core and immigrants

Todd: the name Bush is pretty bad

Parker: that's true but once people

get to know him they will realize he's

not a failure like his father or an

idiot like his brother

Todd: even Saturday Night Live

got in on Hillary's e-mails!

Todd: it feels like she doesn't trust the press

Walter: well she doesn't

Walter: Jeb can change what

people think of him but Hillary Clinton's

image is cemented for all time

Todd: I had to follow Abraham Lincoln!

Parker: I use Abe Lincoln

in my writing classes

Todd: it's harder to write a

short speech than a long one

Parker: that's right

Todd: and that's another

episode of Meet The Press