Friday Hardball: Chris Matthews and Alan Grayson Battle Over HCR and Reconciliation

[Tx4obama]

Run time: 05:36 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3YKIKNUCFs   Posted on YouTube: January 22, 2010 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: January 22, 2010 By DU Member: Tx4obama Views on DU: 3255

 
Congressman Alan Grayson predicts we'll have a health care 'amendment' passed within 30 days or less (at the 4:40 minute mark)

[ananda]

1. amendment..

geeezzz

[Tx4obama]

4. Yes, because

The House can first pass the Senate HCR bill as is, THEN in order to make it better they will need to pass a patch/amendment (Technical Corrections Bill ). Otherwise the House won't agree to pass the Senate bill as is.

My money is on Grayson and HCR passing soon!

[gateley]

2. I'm all for spirited argument and heated debate, but Tweety was bullying and

insulting. Plus, that's not his j.o.b. I'm one of the lone Tweety fans, but I was ready to put my foot through the TV.

Grayson handled it beautifully! Laughed at Tweety!

[Gman2]

21. Aint it great. Grayson has been deemed a loose cannon. And he handled tweety

masterfully. And quietly made him look as he really is. Losing his outlook, accuracy wise. He has become, an interupting blowhard. He cannot contain his ego any longer. Grayson on the other hand, looks all business. And reserved. Tweety was likely expecting a certain response to his trolling. Grayson didnt bite. And was even still condescending. I think tweety will be put out to stud soon. He isnt that sharp any longer.

[butterfly77]

28. He tried it with Dean the other night,,,

and Dean told him he was crazy.

[Gman2]

30. Like I said, he is become an anachronism

[liberalmike27]

56. Yea, I was going to Liken This Interview to Dean

Both Grayson and Dean handled him well. This is what Mathews does when he thinks he's "nailing" them, but he comes off looking more like he's trying to pretend he's interviewing someone, when in fact, he's just bringing them on and chiding them relentlessly.

It really, really makes him look bad. But in fact, you never know which way he's going to go. He goes from somewhere in the center, to extreme righty.

But you are right, both Dean and Grayson handled him pretty well, and managed to point out his terrible interviewing, his acting crazy. More people should point out his extreme rudeness, and near crazy behavior, because he surely can't hear me telling him to shut the frak up from at television.

It really makes me mad when people are are being honest, and trying to actually do things to help people, are relegated to the "loony left." I mean, what? "That's crazy man, you want to do things to help people, what kind of nut are you?" That's pretty much what he does, when he does that to our only champions, and it is so unjust that folks like this, or Keith, or Rachel Maddow, are somehow put into the same category, different side, with folks like Rush. It just isn't so.

But that seems to be the hand we've been dealt, and it just seems to be getting worse.

[skorpo]

51. Danger Chris Matthews....

You're playing with fire.
Your show today shows you using the same tactics that lost Dylan Ratigan his morning show.
I guess it's time for us to let MSNBC that you too have crossed the line and should lose your time lot.

[Botany]

3. Tweety = douche nozzle

[Richardo]

6. K&R

Just photoshop that onto his body and we have a perfect Tweety portrait :thumbsbup:

[FixedNewsChannel]

19. Was this what you were looking for?

[Sanity Claws]

5. Tweety was obnoxious

[Richardo]

7. "was" ??

:-/

[Greenpeach]

8. I've simply had to stop watching him. n/t

[Mithreal]

48. He may be the embodiment

I think we are seeing into beltway logic.

[quark219]

9. You know what?

... I keep cutting Chris Matthews some slack. But I'm done with that now. This interview has convinced me that the man is an idiot and a boor.

I found it a little shocking, frankly, to see him treat a sitting U.S. congressman with such disrespect. He didn't just *imply* that he understands Congress right now better than the congressman: he loudly proclaimed he did, again and again, right on top of congressman Grayson's attempts to answer Matthews' questions. Like watching a pudgy, braying donkey.

Is there really an audience out there for a blowhard who "interviews" his guests by shouting babbitries right on top of every response the poor guests attempt to make?

[bc3000]

10. And if Matthews is right?

I think Matthews raises a valid point. Who else is talking seriously about passing something via reconciliation? I have seen several democrats saying health care is dead but I haven't seen any, apart from Grayson, talk about reconciliation as a real option.

Look at it this way: Democrats in both houses worked for months on health care and they came up with crap, bills so bad that they lost the support of a large part of their base and turned public opinion against health care reform. What makes anyone think that these bozos, freed from the 60 vote constraint, are going to do anything differently?

[quark219]

11. I agree with your post.

But to respond to the question you raised: Howard Dean has mentioned reconciliation as a way forward numerous times in TV interviews.

[pjt7]

12. Matthews drinks way too much

I found this out in-person.

He should be replaced with a more accurate person.

[quark219]

15. I'm not altogether surprised to hear this...

No one, in my opinion, behaves like that unless some screw is loose somewhere. He takes "blowhard" to a whole new level.

[BeatleBoot]

33. He's diabetic

And gave it up years ago.

[rasputin1952]

13. No one knows...not everything is based on precedent...

but the point is, Tweety would not shut his piehole. If you have a guest, you ask questions, and it is courteous to allow them to answer. Tweety acts like he's on crack 24/7...the man just doesn't shut up.

The other thing is, he was asking a Congressman about the Senate rules. While Grayson may have some inside info, he's not a Senator, it would be like someone asking me for a medical diagnosis when I'm not a physician.

[Mithreal]

42. The keyword is like. I will trust a nurse's care any day.

And for many, the best they can get is a nurse practitioner or physician assistant.

And I would wager there are some things you could diagnose.

Just saying, I trust Grayson's expertise even if he isn't a Senator yet. Let's not make understanding our government harder than it needs to be.

[Gman2]

23. HCR is a budget item. To lower budget deficit, HCR is needed.

therefore, tweety is a birdbrain. He may correctly refer to it being budget intended. As our HCR is. Thus, it is not outlandish to achieve the necessary reform by recon.

[Mnpaul]

38. I think Matthews isshowing that he is out of the loop

Who is seriously talking reconciliation?

Baucus
http://www.rollcall.com/news/42433-1.html

Conrad
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/77097-conrad-opens-door-to-reconciliation-for-healthcare

and Durbin
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/01/19/senate-democrat-outlines-nuclear-option-strategy-health-care/

[Nite Owl]

55. Senator Conrad was one of the first

to say he was open to reconciliation. It would have to go through his committee so Grayson is correct. The Progressive Caucus wants the Senate to go first, they don't trust the Senate, and rightfully so. They are fed up with a couple of Senators controlling the bill at everyones expense.

[JDPriestly]

14. Tweety is very jealous of the netroots because they threaten

his position and those of other talking heads on the TV.

We do not just turn on the TV and watch endless hours of folks like Chris Matthews who make millions on the corporate teat.

Sometimes Tweety is very smart.

But the fact is that I remember how the Senate used to just let people filibuster back in my youth.

Usually the filibuster was held by some cabal of Southern senators fighting civil rights. They won in the short run, but their obnoxious obstruction of the peoples' will eventually fell to the forces of justice and history.

Let these senators filibuster without every really proposing an alternative that the voters want. You will see that after a couple of these filibusters, the public begins to back the forces of progress.

Let's watch a filibuster. The public needs to see it.

Bravo to the netroots and to Alan Grayson. We are the people.

A large percentage of the independents who voted for Brown wanted a public option and did not want the Senate's corporate bill. Unfortunately, Coakley did not consistently advocate for the public option. That's one of the reasons why she lost those crucial independent votes.

[bc3000]

22. regardless of his motivation, is he right?

Has the Obama administration and our elected democratic representatives given any indication that they care more about the opinions of democratic "netroots" than the opinions of FoxNews pundits? Maybe a few senators and reps, but certainly not a majority of them.

We need better democrats.

[Stevepol]

49. The survey was just explained on the Ed Show.

The surveyors asked those who had voted for Obama in 08 but had voted for Brown what they thought about a public option. 82% favored it. They asked that same group (Independents, Repubs, and Dems), whether they thought Obama's adminstration should do more than it's doing, and 57% said they should.

In other words, this group, those who were the swing voters in the election, voted for Brown, not because he was against big goverment or wanted to keep clear of O's socialism but because Obama's admin has done too little and has dropped the public option.

They were just pissed and they wanted people to listen to them for a change, even if it took voting for an empty suit like Brown.

[liberalmike27]

57. ANd Like Dean Said

The people who didn't bother to go out and vote, overwhelmingly felt the Democrats mostly in Congress, had abandoned them.

In these populist times, the Democrats need to take their money, and then do the right thing anyway, and stop writing the bills with all corporate input.

[Guilded Lilly]

16. Whether I agree with the subjects that Matthews is talking about

his refusal to let most of his guests complete a sentence before he butts in with his own badgering commentary is getting extremely OLD. Extremely OLDDDDD. It is simply very poor form for serious journalism.

And very little gets accomplished.

Rude and right doesn't make you any more palatable than rude and wrong.
It just makes you damn rude.

[mysticalchick]

36. Agreed!

I don't usually send emails to talking heads but this time just pissed me off. You're right. Rude is rude, regardless. (Wish I had read your post before I sent my email. You said it much better than I did. Oh well!)

Tweety is painful to watch. And yet, Alan Grayson just volleys right back to him. That was the fun part of this mostly painful "interview".

[Guilded Lilly]

53. Yeah, but you sent it :)

good onya!

[Mithreal]

44. Hard to accuse Matthews of journalism.

[bluestateguy]

17. 30 days or less, eh?

Bookmarked and duly noted.

[silenttigersong]

18. If the Dems

refuse to pass the bill the Progressives ought to introduce an emergency medical act,perhaps use part of the stim money,I am sure then the Rebukes would not filibuster and the bill will pass as it has already been scored by the CBO.As insurance cos are drooling over $$$$$$$

[pjt7]

20. They better cut out the mandatory purchase of Health Insurance

or else this Country is going to revolt.

It's that F-ing simple.

[Stardust]

60. I'll tell you what's F-ing simple: The fact is, without everyone's participation

(including the young, healthy, less-than-wealthy), the "pool" will be unable to sustain itself. Those that don't "need" insurance right now must contribute so that those that do need it can be funded. Everyone gets old, most everyone gets sick once they do. When that happens, the funds will be there for them, too.

Very simple. And anyone who thought healthcare reform, or health insurance reform as it has evolved, would be free is living in a dreamworld. Healthcare is not free in all those other nations we point to and it won't be free here.

Would all those "revolters" prefer that it be called a "tax" instead of a mandate? Somehow, someone's gotta pay.

[endless october]

24. i hate it when tweety does his interrupting thing.

i had to change the channel.

count me in with Grayson. as if we have to have a 60 seat majority to get ANYTHING done after that has almost never been the case historically.

[liberalmike27]

58. 59, down to 58

Liebermann left long ago, if you'll remember where his nose was during the campaign? Up John McLame's ass-crack.

[travelingtypist]

25. I think Grayson held his own.

Matched Tweety shot for shot, threw some of the BS back in his face.

Nice.

[wial]

26. tweety is so dumb

Grayson was not saying the bulk of the bill would be passed through reconciliation but that it would be made a bit less toxic that way. Grayson was provoking him deliberately, which was hilarious, and good for the country if it helps further diminish tweety's credibility.

[ProgressOnTheMove]

27. Tweety was wrong from my understanding if it reduces the deficit it can pass reconciliation...

The down side of passing through reconciliation it requires revisiting every so often. That's what I gathered when Randi Rhodes had the parliamentarian on her show that decides these things. Some parts of the bill won't pass. Let alone reconciliation wasn't even in the constitution so it can do whatever we ant it to, as has happened with filibuster also not in the Constitution according to what Malloy said anyway. It was more about the revisiting the bill on reconciliation is why we didn't take the route before but no other option now.

[Overseas]

29. Matthews was such a jerk. Now's not the time for No No No

But he's so accustomed to attacking the guests I guess. I sure wish he'd be honestly helping Alan think up a way that it might be done.

Instead he's pleased to stomp on any creative ideas the Democrats might devise to help our desperate people out of our national health emergency conditions.

Matthews was around when the bipartisan thing was actually practiced a bit. Used more than for sloganeering. That hasn't been true for over a decade now.

Just bargaining by Democrats with fake Democrats pushed into the party by the DLC. The GOP is all No No No.

I guess playing the Look I'm On TV Doing Hardball wins out over the Catholic charity part of his character, if he's got it. Instead of excitedly discussing how we could still help our people out, he's so intent on saying how it cannot be done.

[bc3000]

31. Simple question: If the dems really thought they could pass health care reform via reconciliation...

Why didn't they do it in the first place? Why allow real reform to be watered down by the Liebermans, Baucuses and Landrieus if their votes weren't really necessary?

[ProgressOnTheMove]

32. From what I'm told it has to be revisited if reconciliation. If the is in motion but

but able to be tweaked they don't have to worry about it being dismantled by Republicans. They set date for 2013 so it looks OK in the incomings and outgoings balance sheet. Once the bill is up though and works for people the GOP couldn't' touch it. Reconciliation gives them more opportunity to sabotage things later if it has to be revisited every 4 years.. So before they wouldn't do it, with no other option they will.

[Gman2]

34. When 60 was a theoretical possibillity, it was necessary.

Now, that avenue is closed. As it always was. And Obama likely knew that. Now, we are unshackled. It is now hardball, where under 60, you play nice.

[pjt7]

35. Matthews needs to go

he's obviously a paid propogandist.

How about Tom Hartman taking over his show?

[Gman2]

39. Nope, he needs to go, cuz his ego does the talking.

[Mithreal]

45. Hartmann speaks the truth to power, wouldn't do.

He also encourages the listener to think and find answers for themselves.

His whole empowering focus would not be welcomed by such corporations as these.

Of course, Thom will tell you that yourself pretty much. He often enough tells how he has received nasty responses from representative's staffers for daring to ask questions outside their comfort zone.

[liberalmike27]

59. Now You're Talking

I'm not sure Thom wants to sell-out to the MSM though. You just don't get to say all the things you can say on the radio, for some reason, on the MSM, even MSNBC. I noticed Ed's radio show seems more liberal than he does on MSNBC.

I wasn't too keep with him dissing Malloy. Maybe Malloy gets a bit crazy, and is liberal with metaphors, or connections. But the right has so many more nutbags, I think he could stray away from a man like Malloy, who is often on the point. The guy on point often is the first to get shot, and takes the most risk.

[NorthCarolina]

37. I hope the "30 days or less" comment doesn't end up biting him in the ass.

Personally I really like Grayson, and I hope that this clip isn't used by the MSM to make him appear foolish if his prediction doesn't pan out.

Oh, and yes, Tweety was a total ass, but I've noticed he has been that way more and more lately. I rarely pay much attention to him anymore.

[onpatrol98]

40. Reconciliation defined

Until 1996, reconciliation was limited to deficit reduction, but in 1996 the Senate's Republican majority adopted a precedent to apply reconciliation to any legislation affecting the budget, even legislation that would increase the deficit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconciliation_%28United_States_Congress%29

---------------------------------
You can't always trust Wiki. But, it lists the bills that have been done through reconciliation. Personally, I think they can do anything they really want to do.

[Mithreal]

46. Absolutely.

[tomm2thumbs]

41. I guess the end of this will be in 30 days or so when and if something happens

but aside from his antics, Tweety does ask important questions about how can you create a program with 51 votes if 60 votes are needed to allow votes to move forward on many generic procedural items. I'm just guessing, but from watching the antics in December, it seems they can hold up the smallest of procedural processes that the Senate functions on, so how could they even move an inch towards a reconciliation vote if the general functions stop in their tracks?

I don't think if Grayson knows how it is going to be done, that he'd ever reveal it to Tweety either, but he certainly didn't tip his cards from all the poking being done by Matthews in the interview.

[Doremus]

43. Tweety is a flaming asshole. He's not worthy to lick Alan Grayson's shoes.

What a disrespectful dickhead!

[Mithreal]

47. Matthews talks like we have always had reconciliation. It is a recent invention.

And he shows he poorly understands it.

The fool is Matthews.

[kag]

50. Wow, Tweety really was a prick, wasn't he?

I've seen Lawrence O'Donnell take down people who NEEDED to be taken down. I've also seen him give thoughtful interviews with people who have interesting things to say...like Alan Grayson. Maybe O'Donnell could take over for Tweety permanently. I won't hold my breath.

[houston_radical]

52. Tweety is a HACK

Mathews just does this stuff because he thinks it increases his ratings
he calls everything he doesn't like "netroots"
The reality is that some parts of HCR can be done through reconciliation - those parts that "affect" the budget
Other parts would be easy to get through - pre-existing, cancellation, etc.
But what they need to do is make the actually filibuster and then broadcast on CSPAN

[akel21]

54. he

should have killed matthews