Sunday, June 28, 2015

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 4th 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