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tv   State of the Union  CNN  June 9, 2013 9:00am-10:01am PDT

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premier of-- state of the union with candy crowley begins now. chances are pretty good that the feds have got your number and the ones you've called. today, tracking down bad guys versus protecting the civil liberties of everyone else. >> you can complain about big brother, but when you actually look at the details, then i think we've struck the right balance. >> democratic senator mark udall and republican senator john mccain on government spying and the balance between security and privacy. plus, the search for who decided to give extra irs scrutiny to groups with tea party or patriot in their name. >> indication is that they were directly being ordered from washington. >> this sunday, the top democrat on the house oversight committee elijah cummings gives us his take on who knew what when. and is any work getting done? our panel on the impact of
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multiple controversies on the nation's agenda and the obama legacy. i'm candy crowley and this is "state of the union." the breadth of the federal government's data gathering took many people by surprise this week, but not my first guest, democratic senator mark udall, a member of the intelligence kmitd committee has been worried about this for years but you are restricted in what you can say since you sit on the intelligence committee. so i know you're being careful with your words, but there are things out there. so let me first ask you the president says i think when you look at this up close we have a balance. let's take this one program at a time. there is the gathering of the so-called phone metadata, which is information about information. so what number called what number for how long. it seems as though nearly every phone used by a u.s. citizen has
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been gathered up. is that a correct assumption? >> candy, i come from this at the start acknowledging that terrorism is still a real threat, that we have to protect the american people. at the same time, i also believe the bill of rights is one of the most powerful tools or even weapons that we have in this fight. as you pointed out, i have called for a number of years now for the intelligence community to be more forthcoming about the amount of data they're collecting on americans. in particular you talked about metadata. the fact that every call i make to my friends, my family is noted, where i am, the length of it, the date, that concerns me particularly because americans didn't know this. that's why i'm calling for a reopening of the patriot act, i'm calming for a wholesome debate across the country. maybe americans think this is okay, but i think the line has been drawn too far towards we're
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going to invade your privacy versus we're going to respect your privacy. >> senator, there are no names attached to these numbers. these are numbers that only a computer searches through for weird patterns for something out of the ordinary. this person calls this person, calls this person, calls this person. so that kind of thing. and as i understand it people are at this point looking at not looking at this, it's being gone over by computers. and if the u.s. wants to listen-in on any phone calls, they have to go back to a court, is that correct? >> the concern i have, candy, is you're right. but if you think about that block of data, when you call, where you call, you can extrapolate a lot of what's going on. and we have contracts with the phone companies and we understand they're going to keep these records, but phone companies can't charge you, jail you, prosecute you, essentially incarcerate you. so there's a different standard here.
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i expect the government to protect my privacy. and it feels like that isn't what's been happening. again, there's a line, but to me the scale of it and the fact the law was being secretly interpreted has long concerned me. i'm glad we're having this debate. i'm very worried, by the way, about the leaks. i abhor leaks. i wish the administration had been more transparent. but, again, this is an important discussion. we value our privacy as americans. it's a part of our freedoms and liberties. >> what's the danger now what information we have seen in public is out there? what's the danger of knowing that the nsa is gathering up all phone information in the u.s. and that it has an internet program to get information from foreigners? what's the harm? >> yeah. my concern is this is vast. it hasn't been proven that it works.
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uniquely valuable intelligence hasn't been proven to disrupted plots. and finally, it's only another step to take ta computer data involving human beings and taking a further look at it. it's the scale of this that really concerns me and the fact that the american public doesn't know about it. the american public decides this is okay, then that's where we can be. but right now it's been basically a secret program, the law hasn't been shared in the way it's being applied. that's what i've been pushing for the last few years. >> now, the dni has said that this program has in fact thwarted terrorist attacks. mike rogers of the house intelligence committee says he knows specifically of an attack thwarted through the phone program now we're talking about. you don't believe that? you haven't seen that as a member of the intelligence committee? >> i think the data is unclear. there's clearly indications the 702 program, the so-called prism program that you're aware of -- >> that's the internet program,
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but it's on foreign entities. >> it surveils foreigners and foreign entities, by the way that sweeps up americans as well. we could have the another conversation about that. but it's unclear to me we've developed any intelligence through the metadata program that's led to the disruption of plots that could have been attained through other means. it's hard for me to sit here without further declassification to make the case, but i'm not convinced the collection of this vast trove of data has disrupted plots. >> we've heard the president say this week no one is listening in on your phone calls. let me just take that one step further. is anyone recording the phone calls of americans around whom there is no suspicion? >> on the metadata program, the 205 program -- excuse me, candy, it's 215.
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a lot of numbers flying around. on 215 everything i know is that it's metadata being collected. on the 702, so-called prism program, content is being intercepted and americans are being swept up in that program. and i've been calling for a clear policy there as well. but my focus this week has been on all the phone records that are being accumulated without americans knowledge. >> one of the things we went back and looked at was the fisa court that was set up to make sure that when the government wants to go specifically look at something that they have court approval for it. there were almost 1,800 applications for authorities to conduct electronic surveillance last year. 40 of them were modified by the courts, but none of them were turned down. what does that say to you about court? >> the court is operating under the law. the court is operating under the
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direction, if you will, of the law. the administration works with the court. my concern isn't so much with the court, but it's with the law and the way it's being interpreted and the way in which the nsa then collects millions of records on a daily basis of americans calls. that's where my focus is. we could, if we change the law, candy, then direct the fisa court to operate in a different way. it is one of the checks and balances that's in place, but i think the ultimate check, the ultimate balance is the american public understanding to what extent their personal phone calls are being collected, even if only in this category of metadata. >> finally, senator, the problem i think with discussion about security and safety is nobody wants to be the person that says you can collect this much information, but not this much. and then to find out that had we just collected a little more we could have stopped something. how do you take that on when as you say if you want to reopen
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the patriot act and figure that out? you don't want to be the guy that says don't collect the information that later we learned would have been useful. >> yeah. but i also don't want to be the guy that, as president adams did, put the acts in place and later seen to be an overreach. i don't want to be the guy that in turn japanese americans as world war ii began, i don't want to be the guy that approved a war on wiretapping as the bush administration. there's a balance here. we have proven we can be safe and protect our civil liberties and rights. that's why i'm proud to be an american. we're able to have these debates chl the intelligence committee should be confident they can make the case and prevail. but let's have the debate, let's have this discussion, let's not have this law interpreted like it has been for years now. >> senator udall, thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you, candy. >> arizona senator john mccain
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where. if it can. and then this second program that is supposed to leave americans out of it that is bringing in foreign intelligence and then collating that and looking for a pattern. anything bother you about this? >> no, not really. although perhaps we ought to review all of it again. i think we have to understand this issue in the context of what also has been going on. americans suspicions have been aroused about the irs problem, the idea of drones is an issue, benghazi, the associated press, there's a feeling out there, particularly the irs one, that the government is getting too big and intrusive. and then along comes this issue. i don't think the 535 members of congress should be briefed on every program that our government is engaged in. that's why we have intelligence committees. second of all, there has been criticism on the part of people like me about us not doing
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enough. the boston bombers obviously were communicating with people. obviously they left and we either didn't know it or only one agency knew it. so it's a careful balance between individual liberty and responsibilities. i believe that the fisa court system is an appropriate way of reviewing some of these policies. you pointed out that almost none of the proposals the administration has been overturned -- or turned down by the fisa court. that's either because they've made a strong enough case or the fisa court is a rubber stamp. >> which is it? >> you know, i'm not sure. but i do believe that if this was september 12th, 2001, we might not be having the argument that we are having today. and, yes, perhaps there has been some overreach, but to somehow think that because we are like
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having phone calls recorded as far as their length and who they were talking to, i don't think that that is necessarily wrong if they want to go further and they have to go to this court. now, if this debate -- >> do you think most americans were aware that every phone call they made with their name not attached, so their number and the number they called and the duration of that call and when it was called and perhaps where the call was from and to is recorded. do youhink americans knew that? >> i don't think they knew that. i don't think they know a lot of things that the government is doing in our effort to counter -- >> but you see how people might look at that and go whoa, whoa, wait. >> as long as the source of the call, the people talking to, the subject of the call is only obtained through going to court. but they are recruiting people every day over the internet into their cause. look at what happened to the
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boston terrorists -- >> terrorists you mean? >> yes. >> but this program, the prism program as they call it, looks for intelligence overseas via the internet wouldn't have caught tamerlan tsarnaev because it doesn't apply to people in the u.s. >> mr. ail awack -- ail >> mr. alawahi was recruiting people through the internet and phone calls back and forth through the united states of america, but i don't claim to defend everything that the government is doing. but i am saying that the threat is growing, not diminishing in my view. when you look at the things that are going on around the world, whether it be iran, whether it be what's happening in syria, iraq unraveling, the whole northern africa in a state of near chaos depending on what country you're talking about, so i think the threat is getting worse. now -- >> and worth the price to -- >> well, worth the price. it's a balancing act --
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>> you think the balance is there at the moment? >> i don't think it's entirely appropriate that we have congressional review, that we have executive review. and we take the case to the american people to some degree as so what we are doing. >> right. and do you think because there's been certainly dni has pushed back very hard on the idea that these leaks are damaging, that terrorists are learning things from these leaks. so how are we going to have the open discussion the president wants while the dni is saying terrorists are learning from this. >> mark udall and others members made a strong issue on this case and are members of the intelligence committees. we do place these responsibilities in the intelligence committee. that's what congress does. they don't think 535 people should be involved. but in this issue and since it has arisen, maybe we ought to involve every member of congress. but we ought to be careful that
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we are not discussing practices we employ that would help the enemy evade our detection and apprehension. >> senator rand paul called this surveillance -- the phone surveillance, an assault on the constitution. >> right. just prior to the boston bombing he said the battlefield was no longer in america. he's the only one that voted that iran must not be just contained in pursuit of nuclear weapons. i disagree. could i just say the republican and democrat chairs both majorities members intelligence committee have been very well briefed on these programs. we passed the patriot act. we passed specific provisions of the act that allowed for this program to take place to be enacted in operation. now, if members of congress did
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not know what they were voting on, then i think that that's their responsibility a lot more than it is the government's. >> let me move you to two other subjects i want to get you on. you were just in guantanamo bay with the president's chief of staff and dianne feinstein. what are you bringing back from that? we can take these prisoners and put them in a super max? >> i have said that for the last five years but we have to have a plan. unfortunately, for the last four years there was no specific plan. there was also resistance in congress also. for example, a person you've had on this show a lot, senator dick durbin said there's a facility in illinois we can move them to. we're going to have to look at the whole issue including give them more periodic review of their cases. >> so are you going to help develop a plan? >> sure. yes. senator lindsey graham and i have been working with them. and we've been working with them
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for years. but they have been stuck because of various interests within the administration. >> so you're no closer to having a plan or closing? >> i think there's renewed impetus and most americans are more ready than some years ago. by the way, it cost $1.5 million per pin mate per year to keep them in guantanamo. i think my fiscal conservative friends might be interested in that. >> and finally i want to know this subject very near and dear to your heart, you have received a message from some of the resistance groups there in syria. >> well, i got a call from the commander of the free syrian army. hezbollah is slaughtering people. this key city that the wounded have been moved to villages, they're now moving into those villages and massacring the wounded fighters. hezbollah is fighting in many areas of syria.
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the iranians are in more, russian weapons are flying in. it's a totally unfair flight and the slaughter is going on. all of this those people who said it is inevitable that bashar al-assad will fall. remember that? now he is winning. thanks to the russians and iranians and hezbollah. >> but couldn't he make a case, whoa, this is something the u.s. needs to stay out of. >> if you're willing to sit by and see tens of thousands of people massacred and tortured and mass raped and murdered, if you're willing to sit by and watch that, the greatest and strongest nation in the world is incapable of doing anything about that, if you accept that, yeah. >> and really quickly, do you see any sign the president is softening his stance on arming the rebel? >> i think there's a review going on in particular with this involvement with hezbollah. that's an invasion and the iranians and russians being even stepping up their assistance, which is interesting. i think they ought to call the geneva meeting in munich.
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not in geneva. >> john mccain, thanks for coming by. was the irs's targeting of conservative groups orchestrated by washington? chairman of the committee darrell issa thinks so. his ranking member, elijah cummings has a different opinion. he is next. with our "name your price" tool, people pick a price and we help them find a policy that works for them. huh? also... we've been working on something very special. [ minions gasp, chuckle ] ohhh! ohhh! one day the world... no, the universe will have the pricing power they deserve. mouhahaha! mouhahaha! mouhahaha! ooh-hee-hee-hee! blaaaah! we'll work on it. wah-hah-hah! stopping at nothing to help you save. you know it even after all these years. but your erectile dysfunction - you know,that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready.
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this is a problem that was coordinated in all likelihood right out of washington headquarters. and we're getting to proving it. >> that of course is the republican chairman of the house oversight and government reform committee sharing his thoughts last week about the irs scandal. i am joined now by the committee's top democrat elijah cummings of maryland. congressman, i find myself the same situation i was in last
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week with congressman issa. and that is that you have provided me with excerpts from interviews the committee has done. and nobody will give me the whole transcript. what is the problem here with you giving me the whole transcript or congressman issa? it does in the end it kind of becomes everybody's version of the truth. >> candy, i have asked chairman issa to release those transcripts to the public. i want every syllable of those transcripts to be released. he's the chairman. i can tell you i understand he agreed to release them a week ago. i guess you still haven't gotten them based upon what you just said. >> i haven't. but don't you have them too? >> we have them, but let me be clear, i wrote chairman issa on thursday and i wrote to him this morning, i want those transcripts to be released. but he's the chairman of the committee. we're not in power. now, if he does not release them, i will. period. >> okay. can we have a deadline? >> i'm sorry. >> can we have some date by which we can get them do you think? >> i will talk to the chairman again. i've written him and begged him to release the transcripts. i want them released. the only thing i would say is i
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do want redactions of names of people who are irs employees, but other than that i think every syllable should be released. i'm willing to come on your show next week with the chairman with the transcripts if he agrees to do that. if he doesn't, i'll release them by the end of the week. >> all right. we will check-in with both of you then. let me now put up for our audience with the caveat that these are parts of an interview that you all had released. and this is a cincinnati irs manager of the screening group, so in other words the folks that were picking out tea party applications for tax exempt status. this is their boss in cincinnati. and some of the q & a with congressional investigators. question, in your opinion was it your decision to screen and review of tea party cases the targeting of the president's political enemies? answer, i do not believe the screening of these cases has anything to do with other than
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consistency and identifying issues that needed to have further development. question, do you have any reason to believe anyone in the white house was involved in the decision to screen tea party? answer, i have no reason to believe that. in some ways this is reflecting some of the same things chairman issa gave me. there's really not a way that this manager could know whether there was white house involvement. so this is their opinion. but we still haven't kind of gotten to the problem -- the crux of the problem here, which is who wrote the b.o.l.o., be on the look out for, that said look for names of tea party or patriot? who wrote that? >> let's back up first, candy. one of the things you did not say just now is that this man was the manager of the cincinnati group that reviewed the exemption process.
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>> right. >> listen up now. he was a 21-year veteran of the irs. and he was -- he described himself in the interviews in response to a republican attorney's question as a conservative republican. very significant. he is a conservative republican working for the irs. i think this interview and these statements go a long way to what's showing that the white house was not involved in this. we knew that -- and this is the guy by the way, conservative 21-year veteran of irs is the same one who sent the initial case, the tea party case, up to the washington technical office. >> right. >> to have it reviewed. it had not been requested by the washington technical office of
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irs. >> right. >> very significant. >> well, but even a conservative republican in cincinnati wouldn't actually know what the white house had on its brain or even probably what the irs and washington had. that's my only point. there's not a definitiveness to this in the sense that i'm trying to figure out if anybody in the interview so far has said i wrote the b.o.l.o. that said pull out tea party applications? who is that person? >> nobody. again, this thing started with this guy -- it was started with a screener in his unit. the screener has -- it started with a tea party case, one tea party case in 2010 -- >> do you know what case that was by the way? it was just described as high profile. what does that mean? >> high profile. that means it's a case that is unique. they believe it would set precedent -- whatever decision they made would set precedent. and they wanted to make sure that it was handled in a way whereby whenever cases came
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behind it that were similar that they would be treated in a consistent way. this is very significant. and so the screener looked at this first case and then he takes it to his boss, the republican conservative. >> right. >> and he says, boss, you know, this looks like a high profile case. here's an organization that wants tax exempt status, but they want to be involved in political activity. his boss, the conservative republican, says look i'm going to send this up to the washington technical office because we want to get it right. in his interview, candy, he said over and over again i want it to be consistent. so that's how all of this got started. period. >> right. but there still was somebody somewhere after that wrote a b.o.l.o. and said, you know, hey, let's pull out the tea party. that's what i was trying to get to. final question i have to ask you, and as far as you are concerned based on the information that you now have, which in its totality is greater
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than ours, is this case over? haveou solved the case of the irs and how this came to be? >> based upon everything i've seen the case is solved. and if it were me, i would wrap this case up and move on to be frank with you. in other words, i think we -- the irs by the way, the i.g. made some recommendations. those recommendations are being adopted by the irs. we've got a new commissioner -- acting commissioner. >> right. >> danny's doing a great job. i think we're in great shape. >> changes but you think the investigation is over you know enough. thank you so much. congressman cummings, we appreciate it. have a good sunday. >> thank you. we just got this statement in from congressman issa. in response to this interview cummings. he says that his extreme and reckless assertions are a signal that his true motivation is stopg needed congressional oversight and he has no genuine interest in working on a bipartisan basis to expose the full truth.
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the american public wants to know why targeting occurred and who was involved. we of course will be on the lookout for those full transcripts of interviews with irs workers by committee investigators. and we have extended an offer to both men to appear on this program next weekend. when we return, our missteps putting the president's second term agenda at risk? our political panel weighs in. i am an american success story. i'm a teacher. i'm a firefighter. i'm a carpenter. i'm an accountant. a mechanical engineer. and i shop at walmart. truth is, over sixty percent of america shops at walmart every month. i find what i need, at a great price. and the money i save goes to important things. braces for my daughter. a little something for my son's college fund. when people look at me, i hope they see someone building a better life. vo: living better: that's the real walmart. [ pizza dodging man's mouth ] ♪ ♪
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joining me now, amy walter, national editor of the cook political report, congressman tom davis and former congress robert, republican and democrat, respectively. i want to start out by doing a little then and now with the president. and the first is the president talking about the bush administration. and then second is the president just this past friday. take a listen. >> this administration also puts forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the
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security we provide. i came in with a healthy skepticism about these programs, but my assessment and my team's assessment was that they help us prevent terrorist attacks. >> the oval office is really different than the campaign trail. >> you campaign in poetry, you govern in pose. >> especially in times. isn't this a problem for the president, or do you think -- everyone understands. clearly he had problems with and -- warrantless wiretaps of the bush strags but this is a huge amount of information they are gathering from you and me. >> i think it's a problem for his political base because part of his base supported him on these issues and now it looks like he's kind of changed course on this. from a political point of view i think it hurts him in that way. i think the average american is probably not as disturbed about this. they're more concerned about the irs and other issues. >> well, he isn't going anywhere. he has a trading range like this. he has everybody who's with him,
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his base is going to stick with him. the people who don't like him no matter what he does, he could come up with a cure for cancer won't like him. i think the bigger issue for politicians beating their chest and pandering about this is what would you have done? would you have voted for something that opens this up or restricted the ability to do this sort of surveillance? they wouldn't do that because they know it would be used against them in a campaign to make them look soft on terrorism. >> this is tough for democrats because i don't know if you heard senator udall at the top but he really worries the way the phone gathering metadata from the phone calls is way too broad. >> well, there are reasonable concerns, but i don't think this is tough for democrats at all. the president has struck exactly the right balance between -- well, i consider myself a part of the democratic base. >> right. >> i'm perfectly comfortable with where president obama has laid down that relative balance.
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but, candy, you also made a very important distinction that is noteworthy. and that is that president obama did make a change, versus the manner in which the bush administration went about these things by requiring no longer using warrantless searches but employing the judicial system as it was approved by congress. and i'm not criticizing the bush administration. it was after 9/11. it was a different period. but the president has in fact -- president obama, followed through in terms of making appropriate changes. >> so if you look at the totality of what has hit us over the last month, okay, you have the irs, we have the a.p. leaks, investigation by the justice department the sort of ongoing questions about benghazi and now this. has there started to be an affect on the president's agenda or on congress's agenda? the question is are they getting worked out?
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>> if you ask me, the president's position will be largely determined by the economy. and that hasn't changed. markets are out there either historic or near historic levels. hundreds of billions of dollars have been pumped into the american economy in all different parts. housing is back, the longevity of medicare and social security is improving, the federal budget picture is improving. >> that's an argument to do nothing. things are improving. >> no. it's an argument to continue along the moderated balance path that president obama has pursued. but it's also an understanding that these issues as important as they are are not going to deliver some kind of dramatic change to the president's ability to fulfill his other desires for the rest of his term. >> bring this back and go over the president's base. he's not running again, so we need to understand that. but you did have a sixth year of his midterm, traditionally those aren't great times for administrations. the fact part of his base does get this effect it does have an impact on enthusiasm, turnout
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base. this narrative i think fuels the conservative base going back to the health care issue, obama care and all of these other issues, how can they carry this out? so i think this is going to have ramifications. >> i think the other issue is regardless had any of these things happened, the president was already going to have a difficult time pushing an agenda through because of what happened in the last election. we have an incredibly polarized electorate. we have a congress that now has very few members that sit in the opposite or wrong district. they don't have any incentive to support the president if they're a republican. they don't have any reason to vote against the president and the house if they're a democrat. you have red state democrats who are up in the senate who are very nervous about an agenda that the president was putting forward because they don't think it really relates to the issues in their state. so my point being i think there would have been -- this is a difficult time for the president regardless of what happened with all of these different issues. >> i'm going to give you a
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chance to chime in on this. i have to take a quick break, but it sounds a little bit like, hey, this is actually good for republicans. because what it does most of all is not deflate the president's base but inflate the republican base. but we'll talk about that when we get back. [ female announcer ] yoplait greek 100. 100% greek. 100% mmm... wow, that is mmm... it's so mmm you might not believe it's a hundred calories. yoplait greek 100. it is so good. your day to unplug.0. with centurylink as your technology partner, our visionary cloud infrastructure, and dedicated support, free you to focus on what matters. centurylink. your link to what's next.
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cisco. tomorrow starts here. we are back with amy walter, tom davis and robert wexler.
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thank you. i promised you the first last word. on the president and his power and how any of this, if it does affect the midterm. >> i think tom makes a valid point. midterm elections give a second-term president often time great fits, however, to the extent that the democratic base has been somewhat at ease or less than at ease with what's happening, this leak democratic based voters will see what the real republican party unfortunately is still about in the immigration debate. and what they will find is a democratic party that's following through on its pledge to reform in a very comprehensive way immigration. there will be moderate republicans that stand up with great courage for that goal there will likely be a substantial amount of republicans who think otherwise. about the democratic base, they will be reinvigorated this week likely whatever happens. if it passes it is a legacy issue for the president. if it doesn't it will fail
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because of the more extreme views in the republican party. >> that will not hurt the republican party in 2014. they can pick up seats in 2014 without doing any of this. it is a problem for 2016. the national narrative and the congressional narrative are very different. >> very, very different. >> how is this going to play out? we could go back to many shows where i am saying they are going to get this. but now i don't think so. >> 2014 bad behavior could be rewarded. structurely the house is still republican. looking at the landscape, senate you have seven seats in strong romney states at this point. republicans need six to take the senate. they are on the defensive and any cracks in their coalition whether it is civil libertarians leaving or whatever and republican enthusiasm close that gap. >> quickly, what about the
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notion of republicans overplaying their hand? i think you are seeing more and more being sort of thrown at darryl issa from the democrats and trying to move, saying republicans are -- these are all political things in a way that goes toward what they would like the narrativeo be which is remember these republicans, they always go too far. >> it is not so much they are overplaying hair hand and getting to where we were in 1998 with impeachment and things like that but republicans are yet to make a case for republicans. they do a good job making a case against the president and the democrats but with their approval ratings, which are low, they need to make a case of who they are and what they want to get done. unfortunately i don't think that happens until 2014 when they have the nominee. >> somebody to lead them out of
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voters dongt trust either party. my con sich wents elected me in '96 and re-elected clinton to protect him from me. >> there's a balance to life. >> they don't like either party. >> ying and yang of politics. >> exactly. chris christie, new jersey had a vacancy. frank lautenberg died. he could have appointed someone for a year and a half and made republicans happy or he could have had an election when christie's election is coming up and that would have made democrats happy because it would have turned out democrats but he scheduled a different time ahead of his election. what did the decision tell us about chris christie? >> chris christie is about chris christie. now every politician is about themselves.
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what he's doing is going to help him get elected in new jersey. what he's doing, though, nationally in terms of a potential 2016 candidate, this does not help. >> i agree with that. but i don't think we have any concept how difficult it is for republicans in new jersey. >> exactly. >> he's taking every effort that he came to make sure he's reelected. >> this was so transparent what was going on. you goth get the last word here. >> i'm not so cynical. yes all the personal reasons. he's doing what most americans would view as good government. it's not so partisan. what's wrong with that? >> i love an optimist. >> congressman wexler, congressman davis, amy walter, thank you so much. when we return, north korea extends an olive branch to their neighbors to the south. [ male announcer ] my client gloria
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time to get you up to speed on the day's headlines. science of a fall in tensions in korea. they held the first talks in several years. on friday the north reconnected a hotline between the two countries that it had cut in a dispute over the nuclear program. the two koreas are scheduled to hold more talks later this week.
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president obama and china's leader have wrapped up a two-day summit that the president described as terrific. the two met in palm springs, california, on a range of issues. they agreed to keep up pressure on north korea about its nuclear program, work together to prevent cyberattacks and limit the production of green house gases. a shirtless man interrupted the french open men's final today when he ran on to the court wearing a white mask and carrying a burning flare. five others held up a banner calling for the resignation of francois hollande. they are known as the french spring which opposes gay marriage. raphael nadal won a record eighth open french title winning in straight sets. thank you for watching "state of the union."
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the optimistic freshman class of the 113th congress and don't forget to watch the season finale of anthony bourdain parts unknown. followed by the premiere of stroumboulopoulos taking you inside the words of pop culture, politics and sports. find us on itunes, search state of the union. fareed zakaria gps starts now. this is gps, global public square. welcome to all of you in the united states and around the world. i'm fareed zakaria. we have an important show for you today starting with a u.s. summit. henry kissinger will tell us who china's president xi jinping is and what china wants. and two great scholars to dig deeper on china and the u.s.. how is president obama handling this challenge. and in five days, iran will go he