Meet The Press – June 28, 2015

Guests:

Mary Bonauto – Argued Case

Which Legalized Gay Marriage

Michael DeLeon – Gay Marriage Litigant
Cornell Brooks - NAACP

Pete Williams

Kathleen Parker

Newt Gingrich

Michael Eric Dyson

Charles Ogletree – Harvard Law School

Todd: OMG this is a week

historians will write about

Todd: The President sang Amazing Grace

and the nation collectively decided to

take down the confederate flag

Todd: then there were landmark

court decisions on gay rights and Obamacare

Todd: it was a week that

cemented President Obama's legacy

Todd: first the Supreme Court upheld

Obamacare and the next day approved

of fundamental gay rights

Todd: these were the most sweeping

changes social changes since the 1960s

Todd: a new generation of grassroots

activists had big wins this week

Todd: I mean this is fucking amazing –

being gay used to be a crime now

it's a Constitutional right

Todd: Ted Cruz cried and Jeb Bush

shrugged and Nino Scalia had a meltdown

Todd: meanwhile the Confederate flag

is coming down and a racist murder

may change race relations forever

Todd: the President talked about

racial discrimination in Charleston

Todd: the grassroots activists

want their leaders to say black lives matter

Clinton: all lives matter

Todd: Obama heard them 
and broke out into song!

Todd: this is the Age of Obama!

[ break ]

Todd: welcome Mary Bonauto

Bonauto: happy to be here Chuck

Todd: you've worked on these

issues for years – are surprised

by the pace of change?

Bonauto: straight people saw gay

people getting married and expressing

love just like everyone else and they

all like 'oh so what's the big deal – it's nice'

Todd: John Roberts said we can

celebrate the gay but the ruling was

not based about the Constitution

Bonauto: yes it was – marriage is protected

in the Constitution for men and women

Todd: you get to tell your kids

your marriage is legal

DeLeon: we still face discrimination

in Kentucky – but it's a big win for us

Todd: is your work done?

Bonauto: no gay people still

face unspeakable violence

Todd: Pete is this a liberal court?

Williams: well it saved Obamacare 
and advanced civil rights in housing 
and gay rights but struck down the 
Voting Rights Act and said corporations 
are people in Citizens United

Todd: so what's John Roberts' deal?

Williams: he doesn't like to

see the court politicized

Todd: does it always come

down to Kennedy and Roberts?

Williams: no really it's always Kennedy

Todd: Scalia is a ideologue and

Roberts is an institutionalist

Williams: yes but Roberts quoted Scalia

back at him saying 'you have to read a

statute as a whole you stupid fuck'

Todd: Pete you're an expert on terror

Williams: ISIS will probably

attack us on the Fourth of July

Todd: enjoy it while you can gays

– we're all gonna die!

[ break ]

Todd: Professor you're at Harvard –

what happened at the Court this week?

Ogletree: it was about justice

and equality – and it was great

Gingrich: the Obamacare decision

was a gift to Republicans

Todd: yeah they might have to

come up with a health care plan

instead of attacking Obama

Gingrich: but it was a grotesque decision

Todd: of course

Gingrich: the court followed the

nation which is leading on gay rights

Todd: we're all gay now

Gingrich: I don't believe these

important issues should be solved

by the courts except for Obamacare

which definitely should be

Todd: historically the Courts have

always addressed social issues

Dyson: exactly – that's why 
we have a Constitution!

Parker: to follow up on what

Newt Gingrich was saying –

I lost my train of thought

Todd: that's okay – it's

happens to me all the time

Parker: sorry I was dazzled by

the memory of rainbow colors

lighting up the White House

Parker: the gay marriage ruling

was also a gift to Republicans

because it saved them from

having to take a position on it

Todd: that seems to be a running theme

Gingrich: Dred Scott launched

a Civil War proving we shouldn't

have a Supreme Court

Ogletree: if blacks relied on legislation

alone we'd lose every time

Todd: welcome Senator

Graham: nice to be here Todd

Todd: take me to church!

Graham: it was a good speech

but Obama can't protect us from terrorists

Todd: um okay

Graham: also the speech was too political

Todd: you think so?

Graham: the assassination of

a state Senator by a terrorist

is no time for politics

Todd: why did it take nine murders

to change your mind on the Confederate flag

Graham: don't bash South Carolina Todd!

Todd: I don't think I was

Graham: I was moved by the

forgiveness of the families

Todd: is the confederate flag 
hate or heritage?

Graham: it's a roadblock

to the future – it's gotta come down

Todd: suddenly everyone's

changed their mind on the

old stars and bars

Graham: I served in the Air Force!

Todd: what about Robert E. Lee

and Jefferson Davis?

Graham: George Washington owned slaves!

Todd: yes but he's rather more

well-known for risking everything

to bring America independence

Graham: if it wasn't for Robert E. Lee

urging his soldiers to lay down their guns

there might have been decades of terrorism

from those misunderstood but vicious southern soldiers

Todd: you make them sound

scary and out of control

Graham: we all owe Lee a debt of

gratitude for restraining those

wonderful but dangerous boys

Todd: Ted Cruz says this week

was the darkest moment in

American history

Graham: no that was when

Kurt and Blaine broke up –

I took that really hard

Todd: that tough for us all Lindsey

Graham: when I am President

I will protect both gay people and

religious people who are clearly under threat

Todd: do you favor a Constitutional

Amendment taking rights away from gay people

Graham: such a thing would never happen

Todd: you're no doubt right

Graham: I am very worried

about the rights of anti-gay people

Todd: is the Confederate flag coming down?

Graham: yes it has to – 
and we will be stronger for it

Todd: thanks for coming Linds

Graham: I am so proud of South Carolina!

[ break ]

Todd: Kathleen you live in Charleston

Parker: the media is obsessed

with the confederate flag –

hells bells we all wanted it down for years

Todd: oh really

Parker: it would have come down

a long time ago if the northerners hadn't made an issue about it

Todd: is that right?

Parker: yes – we have to keep

it it up just to spite you yankees

Brooks: it's a symbol like a swastika!

Todd: Newt you're from Georgia

which has a racist history

Gingrich: I said years ago 
the flag should be changed

Todd: do you like the Georgia flag now –

cause it resembles the Confederate flag

Gingrich: we're putting the

glorious confederacy down

George Orwell's memory hole!

Dyson: the flag stands for

vicious hatred of black people

Todd: he's got a point

Dyson: what inspired this murderer?

That hate is still out there!

Ogletree: All Americans should be respected

Todd: there are times when Presidents

capture the moment like the time 
after the Challenger explosion when 
Reagan had the idea to quote from
someone's else poem

Todd: or Clinton speaking after

a right-wing massacre in Oklahoma City

or Bush shouting into a megaphone

standing on the rubble of 9/11

Todd: and this week Obama after

another right-wing terror attack in

Charleston speaking of grace and

even singing with the congregation

[ break ]

Todd: Bobby Jindal opened his

campaign for President with a campaign

video with hid kids pointing a a turtle in

a shot from a security camera hidden in a tree

Todd: both latest entrants Jindal

and Christie are highly unpopular

governors who wrecked their states

Todd: welcome Governor Jindal

Jindal: nice to be here Charles

Todd: your states refuses to

implement the court's gay marriage ruling

Jindal: no we will obey someday

Todd: when does Louisiana go gay?

Jindal: in a few days

Todd: all right then

Jindal: the next fight is protect

Christians from being forced to

participate in gay weddings!

Todd: truly the civil rights issue of our time

Jindal: Hillary is trying to silence us!

Todd: some conservatives

say gay marriage is conservative

Jindal: Hillary Clinton is a lesbian

who killed her secret lover Vince Foster!

Todd: please continue Bob

Jindal: I'm a conservative but

Jesus says gay people are bad

I'm afraid I'm forced to agree

Todd: that's what racists said in the 1960s

Jindal: that's very offensive to Christians

who for centuries have hated gay people

Todd: sorry

Jindal: look I've written that

racism is bad so get off my back

Todd: all right all right

Jindal: Judge Scalia said the words

no long have meaning – why couldn't

the court have deferred to the legislature?

Todd: like on the voting rights act or

on guns or campaign finance or Obamacare?

Jindal: shut up Todd

Todd: 66% of people in Louisiana hate you

Jindal: that the number of the beast!

Todd: you are less popular in

your own state than Barack Obama

Jindal: he cheats by doing popular things

Todd: many many Republicans 
hate your guts

Jindal: only because I slashed

funding for unnecessary luxuries

like hospitals and schools

Todd: I see

Jindal: the economy is booming in Louisiana!

Todd: go on

Jindal: I'm running as a Christian

– is Jeb Bush willing to

embrace Jesus or not?!?

Todd: I honestly don't know

Jindal: America is finished

if we don't balance the budget!

Todd: your state ranks 46 out

of 50 state to do business in

Jindal: we're doing better than ever 
– we turned this state around!

Todd: good for you

Jindal: our credit rating is very high!

Todd: good luck on the campaign trail Bobby

[ break ]

Todd: and now some polls

we pretend have some grand meaning

Todd: Rural America hates global free trade

Todd: but those farmers don't like Obamacare

Todd: 46% of rural Americans support 
gay marriage which is pretty high actually

[ break ]

Todd: so panel how about

all this social change?

Gingrich: Democrats don't care

about children only unions

Todd: I see

Gingrich: people don't like to pay taxes

so Republicans should run against the IRS

Todd: but not on social issues 
like hating gays?

Gingrich: right because the liberal

media are objectively pro-equality

– it's disgusting but there you are

Todd: in 2008 Barack Obama said

he wanted to be a transformational

President like Reagan but shifting

the whole nation to the left

Parker: yes Obama has been certainly

transformational but Obama doesn't

get all the credit – the whole country

has been moving to the left in reaction

to the wackdoodles in the religious right

Todd: this is the Obama

progressives wanted all along

Ogletree: Obama definitely

has been transforming

Dyson: he is a Transformer!

Todd: Obamus Prime!

Dyson: he's like Reagan but younger sharper and blacker

Todd: is he a lame duck?

Dyson: he's not a duck – he's a phoenix!

Todd: I love it!

Dyson: he's a 4^th quarter guy

and he's taking ball across the end zone!

Gingrich: Obama can still be a failure

– depending on who succeeds him

he will either a success FDR or a

loser like Woodrow Wilson

Todd: Super PACs can't have 
the name of the candidate in their 
name so Carly for America became 
CARLY For America

Todd: that's crazy but that's American

election law in the era of Citizens United

Todd: and that's another 
episode of Meet The Press