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tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  August 12, 2009 3:00pm-4:00pm EDT

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of reform, like marilyn's ben cardin. legal reform, be part of any health reform package. >> why isn't tort reform a part of any of these? >> this study also found sometimes doctors just overcharge. doctors can make more money that way. finally, this study found waste in operational costs. just filing the papers to collect from insurance companies costs up to $210 billion a year. one case the researchers site is john hopkins in baltimore. 700 different health plans. employers and other groups are involved in paying the bills there. each with its own rules and paperwork. all of these combined areas could add up to $1.2 trillion in waste or as the study notes, more than half of our health spending. >> that's it for us.
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we'll be back here tomorrow. rick sanchez picks it up from here. >> hello, again shall everybody. i'm rick sanchez with the next generation of news. this is, as we always say, a conversation and certainly not a speech and it's your turn to get involved. what you are about to see, we have live pictures we can share with you now. this is amazing. this is truly going to be. if you are sitting around right now and you've got 15 minutes to devote to your television viewing, it's a special moment of television you are about to witness. the president of the united states is going to give medal of freedoms. this is a who's who of the most accomplished people. it will start in seven minutes. you will see the whole thing play out. meanwhile, as you watch this today, you have seen our shows and what we have been doing day
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after day. you have seen us tell it straight in this emotionally charged debate over health care where diversionary tactics by republicans are being used. we have pulled no punches and told it to you straight. deals are being cut in private by the president. we have also told you about that as well. we've called them as we've seen them. we have explained it to you and we've shown you what the analysts and the experts are saying. you have heard us analyze the charges of racism, be it in some cases blatant or in some cases, subtle. now comes before us this congressman. his name is david scott. he is a democrat of georgia, who arrives at work tuesday to a swastika that was painted over his official congressional sign. a swastika. we had a chance to talk with him. you are going to be able to see that conversation that i had with him where i pulled him aside and asked him about this angry exchange. he was here this morning, sat right next to me on that set and took us through what he calls
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his side of the story. he says that much of what is being reported in the media is simply not true. remember, there was a doctor that had risen to ask him a question about health care reform. as it's been reported shall the congressman lost his temper. you will see that in just a moment, that interview in its entirety. let's take you to washington, d.c. suzanne malveaux is watching this. there air lot of big names that i mentioned moments ago. there is no question. this thing is star-studded. these truly are important people, not only in the united states but in the world. there is one name, suzanne val voe th malveaux that anyone can't help but see as important to what's going on. that is senator ted kennedy. given his health an given the conversation with health care, give us a sense of why this day is so important for him and for the white house. >> reporter: sure, rick. obviously, a lot of excitement.
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we understand the senator is not going to be here because of the state of his health. he is going to be represented by his five children. they will all be here in attendance in the evening, very shortly. the eldest daughter will be accepting the award. she is just about to get underway here. >> let's take a listen. joann kemp, accepting on behalf of her husband, jack french kemp. >> cora kennedy, accepting on behalf of her father, edward m kennedy.
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billy jean king. reverend joseph e lowery. joseph medicine crow. stewart mills, accepting on behalf of his uncle harvey
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hernard mill. [ applause ] >> sandra day o'connor. sidney poitier. [ applause ] chita rivera. [ applause ] mary robinson. [ applause ] janet davison rowley.
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[ applause ] archbishop desmond tutu. [ applause ] mohamm mohamm mohammed yunus. [ applause ]
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stephen hawking. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and first lady, michelle obama. >> thank you. please be seated. there are many honors and privileges bestowed upon the occupant of this house but few mean as much to me as the chance to award america's highest civilian medal to the recipients that are here today. this is a chance for me and for the united states of america to say thank you to many so of the
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finest citizens of this country and of all countries. the men and women we honor today have led very different lives and pursued very different careers. they are pioneers in science and medicine. they are gifted artists and athletes. they have made their mark in the courtroom, in the community, and in congress. what you nighunites them is a b that most, forgive me to those of you who are not american but what we consider that most american of beliefs, that our lives are what we make of them, that no barriers of race, gender, or fiscal infirmity can restrain the human spirit. and that the truest test of a person's life is what we do for one another. the recipients of the medal of
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freedom did not set out to win this or any other award. they did not set out in pursuit of glory or fame or riches. rather, they set out guided by passion, committed to hard work, aided by persistence, often with few advantages but the gifts, grace, and good name god gave them. let them stand as an example here in the united states and around the world of what we can achieve in our own lives. let them stand as an example of the difference we can make in the lives of others. each of their stories stand as an example of a life well lived. one of the last things suzy coleman did before she passed away was ask her sis stiter, na to make her a promise. nancy promised her she would prevent other families battling breast cancer from hurting the
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way hers has. what began as $200 and a list of friends has become a global race for the cure. a campaign that has eased the pain and saved the lives of millions around the world. in the months after her sister's death, nancy lay awake at night thinking about the promise she had made and wondering whether one person could really make a difference. nancy's life is the answer. while an intern at miami's jackson memorial doctor pedro jose greer came across a patient in a coma without a known name or address. a homeless man found by firefighters suffering from tuberculosis. in the days that followed, the physicians that they knew as dr. joe searched for clues about the patient's life under miami's highways. deciding that miami's homeless deserve better, he founded a clinic that offers care to over 4,000 poor and homeless
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patients. the life that might be distilled into a question that dr. greer asks all of us. if we don't fight injustice, who will? professor steven hawkins was a brilliant man and a mediochre student when he lost his balance and tumbled down a flight of stairs. diagnosed with a rare disease and told he had just a few years to live, he chose to live with new purpose and happily in the four decades since, he has become one of the world's leading scientists. his work in theoretical physicaliphysica physics, which i will not attempt to explain. from a wheelchair, he has led us on a journey to the farthest and strangest reaches of the cosmos. he has shown us the power of the
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human spirit here on earth. told he was too small to play college football, jack kemp became a pro quarterback, cut by four teams, he led the buffalo bills to two championships. football, he once said, gave him a good sense of perspective by politics. he had been booed, cheered, cut, sold, and traded. it makes me feel better. a conservative thinker. a republican leader and a defender of civil rights. he was that rare patriot who put country over party, never forgetting what he learned on the gridiron, that it takes each of us doing our part and all of us working together to achieve a common goal. the life from which we can all draw lessons. democrat and republican alike. after purchasing an $8 racket with money earned from chores, 11-year-old billy jean declared a goal to be the number one
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tennis player in the world. yet, what we honor are not simply her 12 grand slam titles, 101 doubles titles and 67 singles titles, pretty good, billy jean. we honor what she calls all of the off-the-court stuff, what she did to broaden the reach of the game, to change how women athletes and women everywhere view themselves and to give everyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, including my two daughters, a chance to compete both on the court and in life. as billy jean once said, we should never, ever underestimate the human spirit. nor should we underestimate billy jean king's spirit. mo bornd and raised in alabama, preaching in his blood, the reverend joseph lowery is a giant of the moses generation of
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civil rights leaders. it was just king, lowery and a few others huddled in montgomery who laid the ground work for the busboy cot and the movement to follow. the found der of the southern christian leadership conference, he was later asked to serve as president. he agreed to serve for one year but wound up serving for 20 one-year terms. throughout his life, some have called him crazy. but one of my favorite sermons that i heard dr. lowry once deliver. he said, there is good crazy and there is bad crazy and sometimes you need a little bit of the good crazy to make the world a better place. born just a generation past the battle of the little big horn, a grandson of a scout for general custer himself, dr. joseph medicine crow was the first
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member of his tried to attend college an earn a master's. before completing his ph.d. he left to serve in world war ii, wearing war paint beneath his uniform and a sacred feather beneath his helmet, joseph medicine crow completed the four battlefield deeds that made him the last crow war chief. historian, educator and patriot, a good man, a buja echa, in crow. doct dr. medicine crow's life reflects the spirit of the crow people and america's highest ideas. his name was harvey milk. he was here to recruit all of us to join a movement and change a nation. for much of his early life, he silenced himself. in the prime of his life, he was
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silenced by the act of another. his voice stirred the aspirations of millions of people. he would become one of the first openly gay americans elected to public office. his message of hope, hope unashamed, hope unafraid could not ever be silenced. it was harvey who said it best. you have got to give them hope. when a young sandra day graduated from stanford law school near the top of her class in two years instead of the usual three, she was offered just one job in the private sector. her perspective employer asked her how well she typed and told her there might be work for her as a legal secretary. now, i cannot know how she would have faired as a legal secretary but she made a might fine justice of the united states supreme court.
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[ applause ] >> a judge and arizona legislator, cancer survivor, child of the texas plains, sandra day o'connor is like the pilgrim in the poem she sometimes quotes who has forged a new trail and built a bridge behind her for all young women to follow. it's been said that sidney poitier does not make movies, he makes milestones, milestones of artistic excellence, milestones of america's progress. on screen and behind the camera, in films such as the defiant ones, guess who is coming to dinner, uptown saturday night, lilies of the field for which he became the first african-american to win an academy award for best actor. poitier not only entertained but enlightened. the child of a bahamaian tomato
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person. he made us all a little bit better along the way. delor delores conchita figuereo knows the difficult the that comes with a difficult name. i can relate. known to the world by the name that has lit up broadway marquees. accompanying a nervous classmate on an audition, she decided to audition herself and impressed the choreographer, jerome robbins who would make her famous as anita in wed side story. sassy, electric, that rare performer who can sing, dance and act.
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she gave her ability to overcome when she recovered from a car accident that shattered her leg. like her unforget tabl anita, cheet chita rivera has shown that live can be like in america. mary roberts learned what it takes to make sure all voices are heard. as a crusader for women and those without a voice in ireland, she was the first woman elected president of ireland before being appointed u.n. high commissioner for human rights. today, as an advocate for the hungry shall the hunted, the forgotten and ignored, she has not only shown a light on human suffering but illuminated a better future for our world. after graduating from the university of chicago school of medicine in 1948, janette wowly
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got married and gave birth to four sons making medicine a hobby. it wasn't until she was almost 40 that she took up serious medical research and not until a decade later she discovered hunched over her dining room table that leukemia cells are noted for changes in their genetic, a discovery that showed that cancer is genetic and transformed how we fight the disease. all of us have been touched in some way by cancer, including my family. we can all be thankful that what began as a hobby became a life's work for janet. the glimpse in the eye and the lilt in the voice are familiar to us but the significant quality of archbishop desmond tutu is a readyness to take unpopular stands without fear perhaps that explains what led
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the arch, as he is known to preach and rally people against apar tied. archbishop dead monday t archbishop desmond tutu was called to serve once more. tribune of the downtrodden, voice of the oppressed, cantor of our consciences, he possesses the sense of generosity and essence of humanity. 35 years ago, a young economic professor at a university in bangladesh was struck by the disconnect between the theorys he was teaching in class an the reality of the famine outside. determined to help, mohammed yunus left the classroom for a village discovered that $27 would save dozens from death. offering himself as a guarantor,
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he withdrew a loan, paid off their debts and founded a bank that has disbursed over $8 billion lifting millions of people from poverty with microloans. mohammed yunus was just trying to help a village but he somehow managed to change the world. there is a story ted kennedy sometimes tells. it's about a boy who sees an old man tossing star fish stranded by a receding tide back into the sea. there are so many asks the boy. what difference can your efforts possibly make? the old man studies the star fish in his hand and tosses it to safety saying, it makes a difference to them. for nearly half a century, ted kennedy has been walking that beach, making a difference for that soldier fighting for freedom, that refugee looking for a way home, that senior
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searching for dignity, that worker striving for opportunity, that student aspiring to college, that family reaching for the american dream. the life of senator edward m kennedy has made a difference for us all. these are the 2009 recipients of the medal of freedom. at a moment when cynicism and doubt too often prevail, when our obligations to one another are too often forgotten, when the road ahead can seem too long or hard to tread, these extraordinary men and women, these agents of change remind us that excellence is not beyond our abilities, that hope lies around the corner and that justice can still be won in the forgotten corners of this world. they remind us that we each have it within our powers to fulfill dreams, to advance the dreams of others and to remake the world for our children. it is now my discontinuing the
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and extraordinary honor to come forward to receive their reward as the military aide reads their citation. [ applause ] >> nancy goodman brinker has transformed the nation's approach to breast cancer. when her sister was diagnosed in 1977, most breast cancer victims new relatively little about the disease and suffered from popular stig mass. nancy g brinker founded susan gkomen, in honor of her sister.
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nancy goodman brinker has been an inspiration to all those lives touched by breast cancer. pedro jose greer jr. dr. pedro jose "joe" greer jr. has devoted his career to improving medical services for the uninsured. a native of miami, he followed his passion for helping others to medical schools and founded the chc, as a medical intern. today, chc treats thousands of homeless patients a year serving as a model clinic for the poor and inspiring clinics
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everywhere. his tremendous contribution to the south florida community and our nation as a whole stand as a shining example of the difference that one person can make in the lives of many. [ applause [ applause ] stephen hawking. persistent in his pursuit of knowledge, stephen hawking has unlocked new pathways of discovery and inspired people around the world. he has dedicated his life to exploring the fundamental laws that govern the universe and he has contributed to some of the greatest scientific discoveries of our time. his work has stirred the imagination of experts and lay persons alike. living with a disability and possessing an uncommon ease of
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spirit, stephen hawkings attitude and achievements inspire hope, intellectual curiosity an respect for the tremendous power of science. [ applause ] >> joann kemp, accepting on behalf of her husband, jack french kemp. a statesman an a sports icon, jack french kemp avoe kated for his belief with unwavering
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integrity and honest citi. on the football field, i won respect for judgment and leadership. as a public servant, he placed country before party and ideas before ideology. jack kemp saw bridges where others saw division. his legacy served as a shining example for all those who strive to challenge conventional wisdom, stay true to themselves and better our nation. [ applause ] >> kara kennedy, accepting on behalf of her father, edward m. kennedy. for more than four decades, he has fought for equal opportunity for all americans. in his tireless quest for a more per spekt union, senator kennedy
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has reformed our schools, strengthened our civil rights, helped seniors and working families, lifted up the poor and worked to ensure that every american has access to quality and affordable health care. with volumes of laws bearing his name and countless lives touched by his extraordinary passion, senator kennedy has accumulated several lifetime's worth of achievement. the united states proudly recognizes this righteous citizen, devout public servant and giant among men. [ applause [ applause ] billy jean moffat king.
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in an age of male-dominated sports, her pioneering journey took her from long beach, california, to the lawn of the international tennis hall of fame. with billy jean king pushing us, the road ahead will be smoother for women, the future will be brighter for lgbt americans and our nation's commitment to equality will be stronger for all. [ applause ] reverend joseph e.
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lowery. [ applause ] reverend joseph e. lowry has marched through life with faith and purpose, carrying with him the legacy of a movement that touched america's conscious and changed its history. at the forefront of the major civil rights events of our time, he has served as a tireless beacon for nonviolence and social justice. as a pastor and civil rights advocate, he co-founded the southern christian leadership conference and championed the cause of peace and freedom. the united states proudly honors this outstanding leader. [ applause ]
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>> joseph medicine crow. as a warrior and living legend, history flows through dr. joseph medicine crow, born on a reservation and raised by traditional grandparents, he became the first member of his tried to earn a master's degree. he was awarded the crow war chief. joe medicine crow is a symbol of strength and survival and the united states honors him for his dedication to this country and to all native americans.
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>> i am highly honored. >> stewart milk, accepting on behalf of his uncle, harvey bernard milk. [ applause ] harvey bernard milk dedicated his life to shattering boun dris and challenging assumptions as one of the first openly gay
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elected officials in this country, he changed the landscape of opportunity for the nation's gay community. throughout his life, he fought discrimination with visionary courage and conviction. before his tragic death in 1978, he wisely noted, hope will never be silent and called upon americans to stay true to the guiding principles of equality and justice for all. harvey milk's voice will forever echo in the heart of all these who carry forward his timeless message. [ applause ] >> sandra day o'connor. sandra day o'connor has paved
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the way for millions of women to achieve their dream. completing law school in just two years, she graduated third in her class at a time when women rarely entered the legal profession. with grace and humor, tenacity and intelligence, she rose to become the first woman on the united states supreme court. her historic 25-term tenure on the court was defined by her integrity and independence. she has earned the nation's lasting gratitude for her invaluable contributions to history and the law. [ applause ] >> sidney poitier.
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[ applause ] >> ambassador and actor, sydney poitier has left an indelible mark on american culture. rising from the tomato farms of the bahamas, his talent led him to broadway, hollywood and global acclaim. in front of black and white audiences struggling to right the nation's moral compass, he brought us the common tragedy of racism, the inspiring possibility of reconciliation and the simple joys of everyday life. ultimately, the man would mirror the character and both would advance the nation's dialogue on race and respect. [ applause ] .
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>> chita hirivera. she has captured america's imagination with her magnetic presence and radiant voice. she has received numerous accolades for her performances, two tony awards, six additional tony nominations and the kennedy center hon horses a war. as fearless as anita in west side story and as self-reliant as aurora in kiss of the spiderwoman, she has broken barriers and inspired women to follow had in her footsteps much the united states honors chita rivera for her lifetime of achievement as one of america's great artists.
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[ applause ] >> mary robinson. for mary robinson, the fight to end discrimination and suffering is an urgent, moral imperative. she has been a trail blazing crusader for women's rights in ireland and a forceful advocate for equality and human rights around the world. whether courageously visiting conflict-stricken regions or seeking business and economic development, she continues this important work today, urging citizens and nations to make common cause for justice.
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[ applause ] >> janet davison rowley. dr. janet davison rowley was the first scientist to identify a crow mo so manyal trance location as the cause of leukemia and other cancers, considered among the most important medical break throughs of the past century. after enrolling in the university of chicago at age 15, she went on to challenge the conventional medical wisdom about the cause of cancer in the 1970s, which had placed little emphasis on chromosome malabnormalities. she has revolutionized cancer care. we honor her for advancing research and understanding of our most devastating diseases.
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[ applause ] archbishop emeritus desmond tutu. with unflagging devotion to justice, optimism and an unmistakable sense of humor archbishop emmayor tus desmond tutu has stirred the world's conscious for decades. he has drawn the respect and admiration of a diverse congregation. he helped lead south africa through a turning point in modern history. with an unshakeable hume il hit
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and firm commitment tore our humanity, he helped heal wounds and lay the foundation for a new nation. he continues to give voice to the voiceless and bring hope to those who thirst for freedom. [ applause ] m >> muhammad yunus. with his belief in the self reliance of all people, he has altered the face of finance and entrepreneurship. as an academic, he struggled with prevading economic theorys and their effects on the people of his native bangladesh. yearning for a new way of lifting people out of poverty, he revolutionized banking to allow low-income borrowers
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access to credit. in the process, he has enable citizens of the poorest countries to create profitable business, support their families and help build sustainable communities. he has unleashed new avenues of creativities and inspired millions worldwide to imagine their own potential. [ applause ] >> before we break up, why don't we all give an extraordinary amount of applause to these remarkable men and women. [ applause ] .
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>> thank you very much for joining us, everyone. thank you very much. what an amazing event this has been. many of you have been sending me tweets throughout this last, oh, 41 minutes or so. you've made the point that it has been nothing short of remarkable to watch this group of men and women, all agents of change, being honored there at the white house, with their families and friends watching, including many of the relatives of senator ted kennedy. we are going to be continuing to follow developments out of washington and one development that i'm going to share with you about secretary of state, hillary clinton, and a comment that she made just a little while ago. she is in nigeria and has made a comment that is bound to be
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controversial and receive a lot of coverage as well, having to do with not only former president george bush but also his brother, jeb bush. the former governor of the state of florida. i am going to share that comment with you. we are just troo i go to make sure we get everything clipped on this one, make sure we have our ts crossed and our eis dotted. and a message put out from laura ling. all this and much more. stay with us. this is the aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan card. you know what's great about this card?
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good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. welcome back. i am going to share you with a comment made bisect of stay sec state, hillary clinton, in nigeria. i am going to give you the line that's probably going to be controversial and to be fair, obviously, and responsible. we will try and put in perspective what she said prior to that. here is the line that i think some people would find controversial. she is comparing the elections in nigeria to u.s. elections and says, have you got this right here, our democracy is still evolving. you know we've had all kinds of
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problems in some of our past elections, as you might remember. in 2000, our presidential election came down to one state where the brother of the man running for president was the governor of the state. so we have our problems too. no doubt, a comment that's going to get a lot of publicity, a lot of coverage and perhaps be viewed as controversial. we are sharing with you now some of the video that's been coming in throughout the course of the day. the secretary of state, as she has been meeting with dignitaries there. let me give you some perspective. you don't want to throw something like that out there and not have perspective on it. as i read the memo, it seems to say she just wrapped up her town hall event and i know there is ai little bit. here is what she says. she is comparing the u.s. elections and nigerian elections. she says, i know a little bit about running in elections. i have won some elections and lost some elections and in a democracy, there have to be
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winners and losers and the losers, despite how badly we might feel, accept the outcome, because it is for the good of the country we love. of course, in my country, the man that i was running against and spent a lot of time and effort to defeat asked me to join his government. so there is a way to begin to make this transition that will lead to free and fair elections in 2011. then, is when she goes on to make the comment about the jeb bush, george bush combination and the election of 2000. there you have it. something coming in. we thought we would share with you. the interview with congressman david scott, who yesterday woke up to find a swastika on his congressional sign. he is not happy with it but there is a lot more to the story as he tells it. my interview with him. you'll see it when we come back. if you're taking 8 extra-strength tylenol...
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welcome back. i'm rick sanchez. if you join us today on the after show, i'll be talking to robe robert reich and saving it and bringing it to the newscast tomorrow. he's very critical of the president's supposed deal with big pharma. for now, up to date on a story that's been developing over the course of the last 48 hours. a georgia congressman, david scott, who woke up yesterday and there was a swastika on his congressional sign. the same david scott who had an angry exchange with one of his own constituents, a doctor, and the story's developed since. now his side of the story, perhaps a side that you haven't heard before, as he joins me here this morning. joining us is congressman david scott. you've had an incident which the whole country seems to be looking at right now. something you found when you went to work. take us through that.
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>> well, first of all, i woke up, my staff called me up and said as i was getting ready for the day around 7:30 and said, congressman, congressman, there's a swaus ka on the sign, on the official congressional sign outside the office. i said, what? i couldn't believe it. and so, i got out there, and i saw it for myself. i don't think people quite understand the significance of what that swastika stands for. and for a person to revert to the swastika to reflect their views in this health care debate -- >> but what about the possibility of just one lone nut out there who's hateful and is not representative of the general community? >> well, i would say that, but when you get this stuff in the mail like this -- >> what is that? >> this says -- this is a picture of president barack obama, pained up to look like the joker in the batman movie with the communist sickle on his
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forehead. it says, "death to all the marxists, foreign and domestic." it says, to nigga david scott, you were, you are and you shall ever be. >> when did you get this? >> this, we got this about two days before the swastika. then we got -- this in the mail. first as a member of the congressional caucus, you are a racist because whites are not allowed membership and second, you should not be elected next year, you're going to be defeated and any of your color constituents ain't going to stop it. the folks are not going to stand by for obama's socialized medicine even though most negroes refuse to stand on their own two feet. >> that hurt you? >> oh, very much so. >> aside from being a congressman, as a man. >> yeah, it is, it is. but what we have to understand is we cannot let these kinds of racist things or that swastika win this debate. and that is not going to happen.
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we need to put that aside, reflect on it, and realize it doesn't speak for this country. this speaks for nazi germany. when you look at that swastika, that swastika represents the systematic killing of nearly 6 million jewish people and others by the worst inhumanity to man in the history of the world. >> well, when you use something like that, there's no question, and any decent person who's watching this interview right now knows that's like a bludgeoning tool in what should be a civil conversation. it's not fair. >> it's not. >> but is it representative of what's going on in this country with this health care debate? >> i think we've got two levels working here. you've got people who are angry. you hear the comments i want my america back, i want my nation back. >> what does that mean to you? >> first of all, ask the question back from whom? it means, well, somebody must have taken it from you. and these cries were not being made last year at this time.
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>> do you think that comment, i want my america back, is inherently racist? >> no, i don't. i think what -- >> bigoted? >> well, i think it's a reflection of a lot of things within that that you have to dissect. we have to understand this volatility underneath all of this if we're going to work our way through it. we have to understand it. we can't dismiss it. we have to address it. and we have to realize that it is not the essence of this health care debate but it is the coloration of the debate. and so, we have to sort of really wheel our way through that. but for me to say that it's representative of everyone, it's not. but we can't ignore these kinds of things and we have to examine them. and we have to provide the kind of leadership to use civil deba debate, calmness, and the media has such an important role in that. >> let me stop you there because there are some people in the
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commune who would argue that you may have contributed to bringing this on yourself when you took on the doctor at a recent town hall hearing you were having yourself. you were really portrayed almost hillary clintonesque in that moment. >> yes. >> as the if to have lost your cool unnecessarily. >> so, what you've got to understand is those of you who are here who have taken and came and hijacked this event that we're dealing with here -- this is not a health care event. you've made the whois to come here. >> i was a victim of a report that was done at a meeting by a reporter from wxia television who was not at that meeting but went and got the film from douglasville and sliced and diced it to mean -- to put that impression there. but the point was she never says that this was not about health
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care. >> the meeting was primarily about a highway project, but later it was opened up for any questions from the crowd. hill was one of two people who got to ask about health care. >> not a single one of you has the decent si to call my office and set up for a meeting. okay? then do that. do that. but don't, don't come and take advantage of what these individuals have done. you want to a meeting with me on health care, i'll give it to you. >> so, this hearing had nothing to do with health care. >> nothing to do with health care. so, these people -- and they were told that. there were tea baggers all around the place. there were -- >> tea partiers. >> tea partiers there. and i have nothing wrong with this, but i'm simply saying if you're going to judge david scott, judge him fairly. and when i said but don't, don't
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come in here and take -- hijack these folks' meeting and take advantage of what they're doing. this is their meeting. i'm having a health care meeting on saturday. >> so, that was -- >> it's on the website. >> that was the spirit of your anger and your comment. >> my anger was i needed to stand up for those citizens of douglasville who were being disrespected by people who were coming in to hijack their meeting about this. >> that's interesting. a lot of people have been reacting as they've been watching this. we did want to give the congressman a chance to respond to many of the charges that have been leveled against him. he'd gotten as much support as he's gotten blame, he told me this morning. here's a couple of them here. kimberly on twitter says congre congressman david scott did a fantastic job answering your challenging questions, rising above the fray. class and leadership. scott gives a great interview and tells it like it is. ooh there's another one up here that's not exactly so

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