Meet The Press – December 15, 2015

Guests:
Steve Inskeep (NPR)

Kathleen Parker (Washington Post)

Bill Richardson

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)

Gen. Michael Hayden

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Nancy Gibbs (Time)

Gregory: OMG Democrats and Republicans

got a budget deal!

Inskeep: it doesn't solve America's 
big problems

Gregory: won't this deal make everything worse

Parker: Boehner needed to call 
out the tea party

Richardson: the grown-ups are in charge!

Gregory: that's good

Richardson: finally Obama is bringing 
in great men from the Clinton 
administration like John Podesta

Gregory: hi Patty Murray and Paul Ryan

– what is the lesson the budget breakthrough?

Murray: we got to know each other

Ryan: that's right – you find out what is

important to the other person

Gregory: you lost to Obama in 2012

Ryan: sure but he won and I had to

get over it – government has to function!

Gregory: interesting concept

Ryan: we can't keep having shutdowns
and government in crisis

Gregory: Democrats didn't get

more spending or jobless benefits

Murray: well we also didn't get 
everything we wanted

Gregory: Rubio calls your budget un-American

Ryan: we have real deficit reduction

Gregory: but not very much

Ryan: yeah but it keeps government functioning

Gregory: he probably hates that part too

Ryan: well he is an idiot

Gregory: Boehner yelled at the

tea party in public

Ryan: he got his Irish up

Gregory: you're Irish too

Ryan: look we've got divided government

– no one is going to get everything they want

Gregory: you didn't solve the debt

or slash entitlements!

Murray: how did I know that you

were going insist on that Fluffy?

Gregory: entitlements are 
the drivers of our debt!!

Murray: that's not true

Gregory: surprise me – make a deal

right now while we're sitting here

Ryan: how about a Fluffy Post Office

Gregory: I love it!

Ryan: we want to tax reform

Gregory: since when?

Ryan: since next year

Murray: that would be an intense discussion

Gregory: what about the debt ceiling?

Murray: why does it have to be an issue?

Gregory: what about the Grand Bargain?!

Murray: that's not happening

Gregory: you say the President

won't work with you

Ryan: right

Gregory: but he supports this deal

Ryan: true

Gregory: two years ago you said

America was about to become like Greece

Ryan: interest rates will rise

any day now!! I promise!!

Murray: the real problem for business

and people alike are the tea party 
threats to default on our debt

Gregory: what about Obamacare?

Murray: it's succeeding

Gregory: how does it survive politically?

Murray: by saving lives

Ryan: I don't like Obamacare

Gregory: neither do I

Murray: who cares what you think

Ryan: let's focus on what we do

agree on – like Russell Wilson!

Murray: we agreed from the beginning

that we would not yell at each other

Gregory: well you're just no fun at all

[ break ]

Gregory: you were head of the NSA and CIA –

how do you dismantle a security state?

Hayden: that's a good question

Gregory: I'm sure you don't like Snowden

but how else can we stop excess surveillance?

Hayden: what execess?

Gregory: you see no abuses?

Hayden: no there was no abuse

Gregory: but the founding fathers

and the enlightenment says to

look at people's private things the

government must have at least

some level of suspicion

Hayden: no – the Constitution only

says any search must be reasonable

under the circumstances

Gregory: I see

Hayden: look Snowden started an

important debate but it's one we were

going to have anyway – we have to

look at privacy in totality

Gregory: I see

Hayden: we are unique creatures of god

but on the other hand I need a record

of phone call you make and website you visit

Gregory: even porn?

Hayden: oh yes

Gregory: the NSA is worrying about

another of a terror attack and getting

blamed so you're covering

yourselves by collecting everything

Hayden: we sure are

Gregory: but Senators aren't even allowed

to talk about all these controversial programs

Hayden: they could vote

against them and the never do

Gregory: should Snowden be given amnesty?

Hayden: I don't think so

Gregory: will we ever know all

the information he has?

Hayden: I doubt it – he's very

sneaky and won't tell us

Gregory: he might if he got amnesty

Hayden: that would only encourage more

NSA employees to emulate Snowden to

get that sweet deal of losing your job and

living in exile in Russia which chock-full

of liberty and has no surveillance

Gregory: what about getting a search

warrant for the metadata haystack?

Hayden: that's a possibility

Gregory: it we preserve our freedoms

– will we be less safe?

Hayden: absolutely yes

Gregory: really?

Hayden: on 9/11 I changed policies

to prevent it from happening again

and I won't go back – I won't I tell ya!

[ break ]

Gibbs: Snowden told Time magazine

he wants people to have an informed debate

Gregory: why didn't you choose

Snowden “Person of the Year”?

Gibbs: because the Pope is so awesome

Gregory: why didn't we have a 
national debate on surveillance?

Richardson: who is Snowden to decide

to disclose these secrets – some

29 year-old punk??

Gregory: you seem mad

Richardson: the Pope is great and

Snowden should be prosecuted

Gregory: but how can we have an informed

debate without information?

Parker: the most important thing about

Snowden is that now young people hate

Obama and will all vote for Republicans

Gregory: what if the phone company

just had your metadata?

Inskeep: that's a fascinating concept

Gregory: um haven't they always had it?

Inskeep: maybe both things are true –

Snowden should be prosecuted and

also he helped us have a real

debate about information collection

Richardson: he's no hero!

Gregory: Obama is dismal –

please bash Obama for me Kathleen!

Parker: George W. Bush was very

courageous for passing the Patriot Act

which millenials now hate Obama for

Gregory: isn't Obama terrible

because of health care?

Gibbs: Obama is of course a disaster and

if getting sick doesn't become an enjoyable

experience Obama will be the worst ever

Inskeep: yes don't forget Obama's

opponents are often total morons

Gregory: that's true

Inskeep: also Obama doesn't have

to run again so his popularity is irrelevant

Richardson: this budget deal is a turning point 
– the tea party is out and the economy and

health care is getting better

Gregory: OMG Scott Walker might

run for President!!

[ grinning ]

Gregory: welcome Scott [ smirking ]

Walker: hi

Gregory: Marco Rubio says the

budget deal is un-American

Walker: I like Paul Ryan but the

deal shows we need to win more in 2014

Gregory: do you like the deal or hate it?

Walker: I like Paul Ryan

Gregory: we all know you like Paul Ryan

Walker: well I do

Gregory: do you like this deal or not

Walker: I like it because it's wake-up call

on how if we don't win more we will be

forced into make more terrible deals like this

Gregory: you hate Obamacare but

you took the subsidies

Walker: I didn't take the Medicaid

expansion but I can't let my

people suffer either

Gregory: if you say so

Walker: I think an alternative to Obamacare

would be people choosing health care

Gregory: what about the 2014 elections?

Walker: Obamacare hurts small business

and will cause another recession

Gregory: so how can you be

elected President in 2016?

Walker: austerity is not the answer!

Gregory: for real?

Walker: you heard me Fluffers

Gregory: you said Chris Christie

is too rude to run for President

Walker: people like candor but you

can't just call someone an idiot

[ break ]

Gregory: on year after Newtown no

supports gun control anymore

Gibbs: that's right – people love guns

Parker: liberals always say 'let's get

rid of all the guns' and I disagree

with that but background checks

seems pretty reasonable

Gregory: you love Paul Ryan for

President in 2016

Parker: he seems more mature

and seasoned – Like Commander

Riker in the last seasons of Star Trek

Gregory: Rubio says the budget can't

be supported by an American

Inskeep: it's easier to run for President

as a Governor than a Senator

Gregory: thank for you that insight Steve

– I'll relay that to Obama

Inskeep: thanks David

Gregory: and that's another episode

of Meet The Press