On Sunday’s Meet the Press, Chuck Todd spoke to House Speaker John Boehner about a variety of issues, including the ongoing protests in Baltimore, but found time to press his guest on a variety of liberal issues that included money in politics and the role of special interests in the legislative process.
After the two discussed the need for police reform, Todd turned to ObamaCare and did his best to point out that Boehner’s “dire predictions about health care” were wrong:
2014 you said fewer people would have health insurance. According to plenty of surveys, more people have health insurance today than they did before. It went down from 17, the uninsured rate went down from 17 percent to just under 12 percent. You said it would destroy jobs. The first year it was implemented, the country added three million jobs. Why didn’t your dire predictions come true?
Todd then brought up a favorite issue among the left, congressional gridlock, and asked Boehner about “[t]he idea that Washington doesn't work. Let me ask you, do you think there are too many special interests here in Washington? Too many lobbyists?”
Boehner argued that “[e]verybody’s a special interest. When I get home everybody I talk to has their own interest” but Todd wouldn’t let up and pointed out that “the organized special interests can kill things like that. Look at Import, Export Bank. Look at the way the health care bill was made.”
The NBC News Political Director continued to bring up grievances made by the left, and he asked “[g]errymandering, bad for your Congress or an acceptable way to do business?”
Once again, Boehner rejected Todd’s liberal question and pointed out how “[y]ou can call it gerrymandering, but in Ohio, the Democrats had the pencil in their hand 50 years. Now the Republicans have had it the last 20 years. Our turn to draw the lines.
Todd then turned to one final liberal issue and even somewhat channeled socialist Senator Bernie Sanders and wondered if there was “[t]oo much money in politics?” which Boehner flatly rejected. Despite the Speaker’s refusal to accept Todd’s lefty questions, the Meet the Press moderator tried one last time to get his guest to concede as he asked “[s]o you’re saying special interests, gerrymandering, money not a problem?”
Given the plethora of lefty questions asked by Todd throughout the interview, its surprising he didn’t ask Boehner whether or not he thought the man who landed a gyrocopter on the grounds of the Capitol had a point that there was too much money in politics.
See relevant transcript below.
NBC’s Meet the Press
May 3, 2015
CHUCK TODD: Let’s talk about health care, another Supreme Court issue that may be thrown in your lap. Do you have your plan B ready?
JOHN BOEHNER: Not yet. I think our three House chairmen are working on this. We are beginning the process of working with Senate Republicans. Because I think it’s important we are on the same page in terms of what are our response is if in fact the court rules against the Obama administration.
TODD: You made some dire predictions about health care. 2014 you said fewer people would have health insurance. According to plenty of surveys, more people have health insurance today than they did before. It went down from 17, the uninsured rate went down from 17% to just under 12%. You said it would destroy jobs. The first year it was implemented, the country added 3 million jobs. Why didn’t your dire predictions come true?
BOEHNER: ObamaCare made it harder for employers to hire people. The economy expands and as a result, you are going to have more employees because businesses have to. But you can ask any employer in America and ask them whether ObamaCare has made it harder for them to hire employees, and they'll tell you yes because it's a fact.
When you look at -- you know why there’s more people insured? Because a lot more people are on Medicaid. We expanded Medicaid in a big way. Giving people Medicaid insurance is almost like giving them nothing because you can't find a doctor that will see Medicaid patients. And so where do they end up? The same place they used to end up, in the emergency room.
TODD: Are you going to need Hillary Clinton's help to get trade done? You know she’s, look the Democratic Party is led by two people right now, their nominee potentially to be, in her, and the president. He clearly is trying to lobby House members. Are you going to need her help on this?
BOEHNER: The president needs trade promotion authority to continue to try to get an agreement with the Asians on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Hillary Clinton was for trade promotion authority. Hillary Clinton is for the trade bill with the Asians. She just won't say so. And the fact is the president needs her help in order to get Democrat votes in the House and Senate to get this passed.
TODD: You think some House Democrats look at the split and think, she is on the ballot, I better –
BOEHNER: Every Democrat leader in the Congress is opposed to the president's position. Now listen, we've got a majority here in the House and the Senate, but we can't do this by ourselves. Now, we are going to carry the bulk of the votes to get trade promotion authority done for the president because this trade promotion authority, every president over the last 50 years has had this. There is no reason why President Obama shouldn't have it with because trade is good for our country. But she can't sit on the sidelines and let the president swing in the wind here.
TODD: So you think she needs to be more engaged?
BOEHNER: I do.
TODD: Congressional dysfunction. The idea that Washington doesn't work. Let me ask you, do you think there are too many special interests here in Washington? Too many lobbyists?
BOEHNER: Everybody’s a special interest. When I get home everybody I talk to has their own interest.
TODD: But the organized special interests can kill things like that. Look at Import, Export Bank. Look at the way the health care bill was made.
BOEHNER: Every American belongs to dozens of special interest groups whether they want to or not. You know, if they’re older they get represented by the --
TODD: So you don’t think it’s a problem? It is what it is?
BOEHNER: AARP. If they are business people they get represented by a number of business groups. You know, if they are environmentally conscious, they get represented by a number of environmental groups. The competition, the competition of ideas is what matters. And there's a lot of good ideas and bad ideas. In my view, it is a misconception of the so-called special interests.
TODD: Gerrymandering, bad for your Congress or an acceptable way to do business?
BOEHNER: You can call it gerrymandering, but in Ohio, the Democrats had the pencil in their hand 50 years. Now the Republicans have had it the last 20 years. Our turn to draw the lines.
TODD: Tit for tat, you don't mind it? You don't think there is a better way to do it?
BOEHNER: Listen, at the end of the day it’s got to pass constitutional muster and it does.
TODD: Too much money in politics?
BOEHNER: We spend more money on antacids than politics.
TODD: So you’re saying special interests, gerrymandering, money not a problem?
BOEHNER: At the end of the day I'm responsible to my constituents for what I do here, not who I listen to, all right? Not how I run my campaign. It’s based on how I vote and what I do here. And frankly, the Congress on both sides of the aisle, I'd say 95% of the people here are good, honest, decent people trying to represent their constituents to the best of their ability. We live in an imperfect political system. We live in an imperfect democracy, but as bad as it is, guess what? It's better than any place else in the world.
