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tv   Today in Washington  CSPAN  November 5, 2010 6:00am-9:00am EDT

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>> it's part of the job description. >> i get coffee. i shine shoes. >> what the hell are you doing, calling this early in the morning? it is not. were you watching at the top of the show? oh, my god, are you kidding?
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you have to watch the beginning of the show. seriously. why weren't you in your office? oh, i see. you get coffee, is that it? yeah, i've got to prepare the next hour here. so to lie, you know. we been through too many elections, right? all right, i'll do it. i will see later. watch the beginning of the show. all right. hey, that was -- that was brian
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lamb, and he wasn't watching at the top of the show, dammit, but is going to go back and watch it on tape. how many times do we need a lemon, and i think -- i think he was afraid to watch at the top of the show. all right. so let's review here what we are doing. okay, first, oh, right. >> do you want them now or later? >> i guess later. was the update? illinois, right? we could use both of those, washington state. alaska -- >> we didn't get -- >> i like that.
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but -- well, you know, we could probably speak to you -- >> sneak some calls in. >> let's do it. so three minutes and we are ba back. >> teater, but do we want to get into we need to do a low bit -- what time do we want to get out? [inaudible] >> so we need -- a little more than just an update.
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>> i think you could probably sneak some calls in. >> yeah. >> i would do a couple of update things, take five minutes, and then take two calls and then out. >> i want to get in -- well, so for outside, we will focus on mcconnell, right? >> yeah, i think so. >> and what you can negotiate with this guy. >> thanks for holding, your first name? you've already got some calls to work with. >> all right. but the other thing we can do is
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that the nile, benard to now, i like that clip. -- denial boehner clip. >> all right, 30 seconds.
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>> i don't see how i'm going to do this. >> whatever you want. >> all right. >> there's cameras all over this damn place. i'll hide under the desk. [inaudible]
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>> hey, mom, we're on television. i feel like the crowd outside of the today show, you know? everyone is waiting. >> and only slightly less obnoxious. >> i need a big sign. good morning, everybody. it's the bill press show. good to see today. friday, november 5, the bill press show. we are live coast-to-coast all the way across this great country of our starting out right here in our nation's capital, washington, d.c., just down the street from united states capitol building. that's what you will find us here in our little radio factory and book factory on capitol hill. the bill press show this friday edition. good to have you with us, and thank you so much for joining
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us, all of our regular listeners and wherever you happen to be, and today all of our viewers from c-span. c-span to cover and the show today. could have you onboard as well. welcome, welcome, welcome to our studio here on capitol hill. big news yesterday on the financial front. the fed said they will pump some more money into the economy, but some more money and wall street liked it. the dow shot up 219-point yesterday. my 401(k) was excited. that means the market is back to where it was or the first time now, back to as high as it was he for the crash in october of 2008. good news on the economic front. the economy is bouncing back. if you want to give us a call, look forward to your calls at any time on any topic, 866-55-press, -- i have to distinguish that that's the democrat line, 866-55-press.
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or for c-span today we have three separate lines. the independent line is 86655 press. all put together, thanks to a regular press team europe, peter auburn. you're running the new york marathon? >> no, i'm not running the new york marathon. i am thinking about it next year however. >> new york city? >> i am. >> why that would? >> why not? >> you should do the san francisco marathon spent i'm thinking about doing these efforts is the triathlon next year. >> you have to swim and seven cisco bay to work for that one. that's a rough crossing. i mean, i've done it so many times. [laughter] >> but i will tell you who is running in your city marathon this year, which is astounding is one of the miners who was
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rescued down in chile after being underground for three months or whatever it was. he went up yesterday and it turns out he is not only a runner, he is also an elvis fan. his name is edison. ♪ return to sender ♪ address unknown. >> they are the only four words of english he knows. >> that's the only english he spoke. address unknown. >> that's all the english he spoke. an amazing that after all that time he still has the strength to run like that. >> i think dan reported it yesterday. he ran six miles in that cave. >> underground every day. i can just picture him running in a little circle over and over again calculating six miles.
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>> how many turns is one mile? also check out the website as always. low-pressure.com. -- billpressshow.com. if you haven't already done so, there you go. order your copy of toxic talk, my new book on how the radical right has poisoned america's airwaves. somebody said yesterday this book, we should have done it online and just added more toxic talk everyday because there's more toxic talk coming from rush limbaugh and michael savage and sean hannity and glenn beck and all the rest. it's all summed up here. toxic talk just go to the website, billpressshow.com, tell us how you want assigned your we will sign one and get it out you right away. coming up later senator byron dorgan will the industry with us the next hour, and also congressman chris van hollen from montgomery county, maryland
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who was the chair of the democratic congressional campaign committee with insight on what the hell happened on tuesday. but first -- >> other headlines, 7-eleven, they're hoping to cash in on the joke president obama made saying he wanted a slurpee summit with the new republican leadership that they want to make it happen. a spokeswoman said we don't want to be opportunistic but nothing has ever been this big for the slurpee. they've offered to bring red and blue slurpees, and even throw in some purple ones. when you mix the red and blue together. >> i've got it, i'm not a purple. >> it's been around for 44 yea years. >> the president said slurpees our diligence. they are good. nothing wrong with a slurpee. >> if you're stoned out of your cord and there's nothing else. >> i think they're good if you're 10 years old. >> john boehner said slurpees summit? i would rather have a glass of merlot. >> i have a better idea, merlot
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slurpee. think about it. >> lady gaga is getting waxed in a different places. she will be replicated in wax. >> waxed in one place. >> you can see her at a different wax locations across the world started on december 9. each one sporting one of her different outrageous outfits. you can find them in london, berlin, new york, hollywood, new york, shanghai and hong kong. >> i don't like starting this hour with lady gaga getting waxed. if you delay gets squeezed -- [laughter] >> if you easily get squeamish in movies you don't want to be 147 hours this weekend. it's a new film, starring the true story of that rock climber who resort to self abdication to free himself from a boulder pinned his arm in a candid. he was that there for five days back in 2003.
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many viewers got sick in the movie because it was so realistic they had to leave the movie and couldn't return. >> this is truly a movie i want to go see. what a good time watching his men cut his arm off. >> true story. the movie i want to see is i got an invitation last night a special screening here in washington, d.c., for client number nine, it's a movie about eliot spitzer. i'm going to that. >> make sure to wear your trenchcoat. >> the timing is perfect, right? a documentary about eliot spitzer and client number nine at the mayflower comes out just two weeks after the new show, parker spitzer debuts on cnn, which by the way to such a disaster it and going to last. your phone calls again, 866-55-press. we been talking this morning especially about whether or not the message, of the midterm
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elections, is that the voters review the eighth all the policies of barack obama. that's what republicans are claiming, that's the message. so, therefore, just be honest and say i'm sorry, we're going to undo everything we did, just pull the plug and there's no more health care, reform, no more credit card reforms, no more student loan reforms, no more lilly ledbetter act. it's all gone because you repeated it. that's what the republicans say. how about you, 866-55-press. back to calls and justice act, but meanwhile, this little update on the political front, easy republicans got all their wins on tuesday night. democrats are a little smarter. they are stretching this out. and there were things i decided on tuesday but yesterday we learned that michael bennet is, in fact, the new senator, the next senator from colorado. yesterday we learned that pat quinn is, in fact, reelected as
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governor of illinois. good news for democrats. and we also learn that patty murray is now confirmed in fact, reelected as the democratic senator from washington state. she was happy to accept yesterday. >> i'm just grateful for this tremendous opportunity so i want to thank all the photos. and a want to thank mr. rossi who was gracious, called me just a while ago to congratulate me. i never want to thank him and his family. i know what a sacrifice it is. >> and patty said -- shut that kid up a -- patty says by the way, i want health care. she's not a vote for repeal. >> we move forward on health care reform. it is very important to do. we will now see what republicans have to offer, but i will say this. i am not putting our families back at risk again. >> good for you, good for her, and glad she is back in there. and alaska still -- know, no resolution there. they say they will speed up and
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check out all the write-in votes but lisa murkowski looks like we'll walk away and come back to washington as the incumbent senator, reelected, no thanks to republican party, reelected to a writing campaign. unfortunate scott mcadams, a democrat, still hanging behind in third place. and sarah palin, well, she's back, at least back on late-night television. tina fey was the guest of david letterman last night, andy astor, can you still do a mean sarah? >> issues access as he these days, all her mama grizzlies are winning. [laughter] >> and they are busting through. busting through the glass ceiling. [laughter] >> the mama grizzlies are going to washington and they're going to blitz their picnic table, dave. and they're going to go through that garbage. [applause] >> they're going to have to tie your food to a treat.
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>> sort of like dana carvey will always be daddy bush. she will always be sarah palin. and, finally, people get back to your calls, john bennett again yesterday telling diane sawyer that barack obama just doesn't get it. americans re-tee eight, or repudiate, depending on how you say it, his policies. here is boehner. >> there seems to be something out on the part of the president and other democrat leaders. the message -- >> no. john boehner, award is democratic leaders, democratic party. if your speaker had to speak the english language, dude. angela is calling from, arkansas called callbacks that i'm up in holland, missouri now. >> host: you're driving. good morning, good morning. >> caller: i don't think there is a message. but the party in power always
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loses seats at midterm elections. it's not a repeat asia and. >> host: a special in a economy is bad. the incumbent party always does. >> caller: and dana is going to act like it is. would i be a terrible geek if i told you all i see is -- [inaudible] >> host: well, it's interesting what people do think of when they hear boehner, or see the 10 men, or the orangemen. gavin is calling from lonetree, colorado. >> caller: good morning. >> host: thank you. >> caller: you know what, you were referring to the idiocy of the voters, that a colorado coat -- court we have mail in ballot and i just pulled straight ticket all the way. i think that was wrong. it was just for convenience and
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efficiency. i didn't have time to do it. and i think this is how people are inclined to vote. >> host: so i don't understand that it would've been just as efficient to pull a straight democratic ballot. i mean, why did you pull a straight ballot one or the other side? just because you're too lazy? >> caller: pretty much so. >> host: all right, gavin, at least you admit it. i would hope that most americans would put a little more thought into their ballots, either ballot initiatives or candidates, whether at the local level or the state level. more calls coming up, 866-55-press. >> the bill press show continues. >> i'm not used to such honesty. >> yeah. why did he even bother, why did he even bother to call and tell us that? >> why did he bother to vote?
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i just want to call and say i am a stupid -- >> i'm just an idiot, a jerk. you said voters are idiots and i just want to call and let you know that you're right. [laughter] >> there's a lot of us idiots out there. and we're here for you, gavin. >> clips? >> oh, shoot. yeah. >> clip number five, his name is john largent. explains why -- john. explains why he moves the referees. >> in tennessee, right? >> right. clip number four, carl walks off of an interview. remember, this is in response of him calling -- >> the little girl? >> clip number three, michael
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steele on tuesday. >> is that 37? >> clip number two, john boehner crying. clip number one, -- >> wait a minute. okay. >> it's the one from tuesday night. and then clip number one is bill clinton campaigning for john by jerry where his wife goes into labor. >> he got a baby anyhow. >> okay. so to have time for anything else? >> we might. i do first clips and then jump into a call. >> okay.
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♪ >> oh, shoot, do you know what? >> what's up? >> i mean, i should've asked dan to do a coffee run -- >> they have donuts and there? >> wide? get out. >> come on. he didn't give any to us. screw them. >> all right. >> i'm kidding. here he comes with a dose. i'm totally kidding.
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>> do you guys have coffee? >> no. >> do you want some? we have a great coffee shop downstairs but i will buy you a round of coffee. >> and tell him i will pay him back. just find out what they want. who wants coffee? coffee? one coffee. can you grab one -- >> tell them brian lamb is paying donuts and coffee. >> cool, thanks. >> kelvin brian is paying. >> he's going to jump back down again. >> okay. all right. clips and after clips calls if you want. >> okay, good.
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>> here we go. >> i'm ready. >> you've got a telephone is out of the our the bill press show. how about it? sunday, check your local listing. i'm going to be on the michael auslin group with john maclachlan. it's your number one. hasn't changed all these years. should be a lot of fun. i always enjoy doing that show so check it out on sunday morning. meanwhile, here we are on a friday. ♪ >> and as all of the regular listeners know, and now our c-span audience will know as will on a friday we always kick back and look back at our weekly file and pick their favorite
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soundbite of the week. we start at the bottom and work away up to the top. we start the day with a guy down in tennessee. he wasn't happy with the referees call of his son's football game. his name was john largent, so he turned around and moved to the ref. yours what. >> number five. >> i told him he was crazy. and he proceeded to throw yet one more flag. i told him he might as well throw a flag at this, and i moved him. >> throw a flag at this. full moon. full moon over tennessee, i've got today, ugly site. carl paladino, the big loser in more ways than one in new york state. he was asked by reporters about his comment calling kirsten gillibrand chuck schumer's little girl. karl not happy. he walks out, number four. >> you think little girl as a sex extent but to make? >> you could make it whatever
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you want, kristin. >> so you don't think it's sexist? >> absolutely not. >> a number of republicans are telling us that due to your behavior and remarks space are we going to talk issues or am i leaving you right now? >> i think this is about issues. some of the comments you made say that you're not capable of running -- >> yeah, he says i'm going to take my baseball bat and go home. michael steele, this was before tuesday, how many seats would you have to win to declare victory? >> we need 39. if we get 39 seats and take the majority, that success. if we get 37 seats, that's success. >> john boehner was so overcome with success that he showed it, number two. >> i spent my whole life chasing the american dream. >> yeah. [applause]
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>> hey, boehner, man up as all i've got today. and bill clinton has an unusual interruption to a speech he is getting for candidate, john. >> ohio has cut its dropout rate among the kids. we have -- >> my wife is having a baby. >> the baby is now being born. tell him goodbye. [laughter] >> bill clinton could handle it. we have time for a quick word from john out in washington. hello, john. alcala good morning, bill. hey, these band audience. i was just going to say that president obama needs to come when he talks to mitch mcconnell and these republican leaders, i hope he doesn't -- does it live on cam and i hope he points out the fact that they are liars, and i hope he uses the word liar. >> host: you know what books i would love to see that, john.
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i hope that c-span cameras just like their here this morning in that meeting and the president called him out and say you are the ones that block everything i tried to do this year. more calls coming up. >> this is the bill press show. stay tuned for a special announcement to learn how you can get a four night car but will -- for night a carnival cruise for free. >> what's the question? >> boy, washington, 4:30 in the morning. watching c-span.
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>> did you get these guys coffee? >> yeah. >> peter? so the question is, i want to focus on the compromise question, right? especially in light of -- but that mcconnell -- we don't
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actually have been saying for one term, do we? >> no. >> hipeter? you don't have give saying that the message was work together?
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>> not from yesterday, no. >> i do have the obama from the press conference from wednesday where he says moving forward together. let me let you hear that. >> yeah. >> all right, that's good. let's do that, and -- good. >> just that one? >> i think so.
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>> we will start out with a call bank. >> here we go. >> thirty-three minutes after the hour the bill press show, coming live coast-to-coast from a radio studio here on capitol hill, washington, d.c.. our nation's capital. and going out to you live coast-to-coast this morning both
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on the radio airwaves and on c-span, c-span2, and we welcome all of our friends joining us maybe for the first time here on c-span2. if you have you onboard. talking about the big issues of the day. this section we go outside the beltway because we devote the next half-hour to your calls. and the telephone number of cores, 866-55-press. unlike c-span, actually where you don't have to know three different telephone numbers. they make it so complicated over on c-span. and then you also have to identify yourself as a republican or an independent or democrat. i mean, we are more egalitarian here at the bill press show. we have one number, 866-55-press. welcome your calls. and what i want to ask you today is really whether or not the president should try to compromise with republicans. is that the message of tuesday?
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he seems to indicate that's what he took away. you he was wednesday at 11 a.m. news conference which i attended in the east room of the white house. >> i told john boehner and mitch mcconnell last night i am very eager to sit down with members of both parties and figure out how we can move forward together. >> yes. but yesterday in fact, a week or so ago remember mitch mcconnell said, however, and i quote him exactly, the single most important thing we want to achieve, okay, is number one goal, the single most important thing we want to achieve is for president obama to be a one term president. did he miss the? no. yesterday he gave -- this was last we. yesterday he gave a speech at the heritage foundation here in washington, d.c., where he repeated that. he said that his top goal is to make obama a one term president,
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and john boehner has said the message of the midterm elections was that americans repudiate the policies of president obama. so my question is, how can you cover mice with these guys? if boehner starts with total repeal, total repudiation. mitch mcconnell says we want to throw you out of the white house, and barack obama is saying i'd like to reach out of work together with these guys. is seems to make this is a nonstarter. i don't think obama should be thinking compromise with them at all because did he learn anything over the last two years? they are not willing to compromise on anything. they didn't give him one vote on health care, one vote honesty and his package, one vote on the auto bailout, one vote for another. they just have him in the back every chance they had. so compromise, working together. kumbaya. that's what obama got to be trying to do, 866-55-press.
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let's start out with alan down in raleigh, north carolina. welcome to account thank you. actually i would like to see them cover mice. i'm kind of a tea party mentality, although i'm very sad with what the tea party did to us in this political cycle. it would be nice to have them work together as opposed to having the democrats lock themselves into a room, and like not talk to the republicans. i think that hurt them. >> host: in an ideal world, yeah. and we have seen it. we saw tip o'neill work together with ronald reagan. we saw bob dole work together with bill clinton. but i'm not sure that's possible with this game. but, you know, alan, and hasn't been the democrats who lock themselves in a closet and didn't talk to republicans. barack obama tried to reach out to republicans, and they
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wouldn't come his way at all. no, what about the story then, the president hasn't reached out to the senate, the new senate leader, minority leader for 18 months, is that true? >> host: not too. i have seen mitch mcconnell at the white house and i go down there every day. i don't know who made up that story. but i will take the classic story, alan. you heard it before on the show is, true story, exactly happened right after obama got into office, again, he wants to be a post-partisan kind of guy. he told john boehner, the first time the present of the opposite party did this, set a want to come up and sit down and have lunch with your caucus. he didn't go out to lunch with the democrats. he had lunch with republicans and he said i want to hear your ideas of what we can do for a jobs bill. this is the original stimulus package. and pena said find them and the president before he got in the
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car to come up to the capital, john boehner held a news conference and said, not one republican is going to vote for the president's plan. they hadn't even heard the plan yet that they had even given him their ideas that should be in the plan. boehner said not one republican vote. that's what they think for compromise. josh calling from vermont. >> caller: i think obama should try to cooperate. but what i'm afraid of is that obama is going to trade the millionaires tax cut for cooperation, and then republicans are going to stab him in the back. >> host: then why even try? you are right that that's exactly what they will do. so why even try? why give him another shot? did he learn anything or haven't you over the last two years? >> caller: it makes him look bad if he says no. >> host: man, i think it makes him look weak if he tries. and then he is going from trenton, new jersey. >> caller: thank you for taking my call. >> host: glad you are there.
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i'm just trying to think of what it is on the bridge from trenton makes -- transit train makes the world takes. that's an old signed. >> host: i know. if only, if only. >> caller: exactly. i agree with you 110%. he cannot compromise. he did compromise. you made some examples, with the health care, with a public option and many other things. >> host: he gave with the public option to try to get some republican votes. how many did he get? >> caller: exactly. and they consider, not just republican, but republican supporters. and less they get everything that they want, and we get very little for nothing that we want, it's not a compromise. so, you know, i would just like to say they need to get up the sound bites, democrats need to take up sound bites remember hello? it should be like hell freaking
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know. makes sound childish, but, you know, what, it's effective in people when they listen to that kind of stuff it motivates them. that democrats need to do a better job of communicating our positioned. >> host: amen, anthony and i appreciate the fact you said help freaking out recognizing we are on c-span this morning. we couldn't do otherwise. paul from rochester wisconsin. >> caller: hey, bill. i love your show. i'm glad you on c-span train to thank you. >> caller: maybe some of these congressmen will listen to advice i think this is so six as of this morning that c-span will put us on every day five days a week, don't you think so? >> caller: i think some. >> host: let's get that message out to brian lamb. >> caller: i'm a tea party member, okay? i'm from wisconsin. i really hate that we had to sacrifice our great senator, but
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-- >> host: did you vote for him? >> caller: guess i didn't. >> host: good for you. >> caller: the tea party, it's not that we want gridlock and stuff. we want our government back from the corporate raiders. we don't want back from the republicans and democrats. we want the corporate money -- [inaudible] and all these fox news and glenn beck and sarah palin and all that, jumping on the tea party bandwagon is -- >> host: i appreciate ago. the tea party, which i identify for us with wrong paul, has been hijacked by a bunch of phonies. it's been hijacked by phonies led by dick armey, you're right, sarah palin, jim demint and others who were really just trying to make it, beat the drums for the republican party
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agenda. here's billy calling from atlanta, georgia. >> caller: how are you doing? >> host: good. compromise, compromise, is that what the president ought to be trying to do? >> caller: i think the question answers itself. maybe it's not so much compromise as it is, we need to start focusing on where we agree instead disagrees i think that's what has gotten this country so polarized right now. >> host: billy, doesn't take two to tango? that's the problem. >> caller: i know. i'm not saying he would be easy but that's where leadership comes in and that's what we need an president obama right now. we need strong leadership to make this happen. >> host: you see, again, i think obama, if anybody, if any modern president has been ready to sit down and talk and honestly genuinely try to compromise, it's barack obama. john boehner and mitch mcconnell, they want 100%. they don't want to compromise. >> caller: been ready to lead and being able toledo two different things. i think he can do it.
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>> we've got to find a way because this polarization -- is taxing. >> host: it is, billy. i agree. i agree, but i'm telling you the message from bain and mcconnell is my way or the highway. listen to the statement. they are not saying let's see and take a look at this health care reform bill and see many parts of it we have to modify, or, no, no, no. they are saying the whole damn thing out. that's not what the american people want. it's not what barack obama is going to you, or should even try to do. should he try to compromise with these naysayers? 866-55-press.
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>> okay. i love those c-span callers. not the one in their cars. is it safe to assume that the ones calling from their cars are not watching c-span? >> you never know. >> i hope it is.
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[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> these are the shots of c-span lives for, as eating -- us eating. >> i love the coconut story. that they would -- cut all the coconuts. there seems to be an easy way, don't let them walk under a coconut tree. just get away from them.
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>> let's shoot them all down. >> what are the chances he's going to be walking underneath a coconut tree anyhow? >> it happens. i mean, but speeded the president of the united states is just going to be wandering around? >> are they going to remove all of the coconuts? what if someone picks up a coconut off the ground and throws it at him? >> i'm sure they didn't just drop them all on the ground. start all the coconuts on the ground. >> i mean, i'm sure it happens. have you ever heard of anyone getting killed by a coconut? i mean, falling on him? >> no. i never heard of it. i've heard of people falling out of coconut trees that have climbed. >> that's drunk. keith richards. >> he almost died. all right, coming back.
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♪ >> simulcasting live on c-span, republicans call 866-55-press. democrats call 866-55-press. and independents call 866-55-press. this is the bill press show. >> i hope you got those three numbers down. it's 12 minutes before the top of the hour, the bill press show. we are live on c-span today, and don't forget, go to the website at billpressshow.com. lots of goodies on the website. my new column posted yesterday, the american people don't get it. and also, while you're there follow the link to check out on
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carol press his scars. she's a real talent in the family. she makes a beautiful hand woven scarves. i just happen to have one in my briefcase. it is a little chilly in there so i thought i'd better be prepared this morning. this one is a nice read rayon. anyhow, follow the link on the website at billpressshow.com, and it's getting close, thanksgiving gets, christmas gifts. you know what i mean. okay. carol is happy your life back. >> welcome to build shopping network. >> exactly. >> we are taking your calls the president obama am a whether there's any chance for him to compromise with this gang of republicans or should even try. saint paul, minnesota. >> caller: thanks for taking my call. i think he should extend, he has to. but like your collar said, they will stab him in the back. >> host: here's my question
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been. why do democrats always have to compromise if republicans never do? >> caller: because just like it's in their nature to stop unless they get 100% that it's in the democrats nature to say we at least have to be realistic and reasonable about this, at first. that's why. >> host: maybe we shouldn't be that way. i hate to say this that made we should try to be more like them. >> caller: but i don't agree with it but i think it has to happen. but i do have one thing that republicans cannot answer. and it was a big campaign theme that they wanted congress to run, like americans run households. but listen to this, they always want to compare the national debt which is 13 trillion, the annual budget of 13 trillion, but if americans who make $50,000 a year and live on that method, that system, you could have a house -- you're not paying it off every year. >> host: rick, look, they don't make any sense at all.
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they always say we have to live within our means. like they did when they were in charge. lucas from chicago. >> caller: hey, i'm a progressive socialistic did i call the right number? [laughter] >> host: i don't know. the socialist line is 866-55-press. >> caller: i got it. no compromise. i told -- how many times do need to get sucker punched before you punch back? >> host: exactly. >> caller: i feel like someone is hiding behind the curtain with a knife or gun to obama's back telling him, you know, if you say this you will get it. you know, it's like he's not the same when he was when he was campaigning, obviously. it's weird. it's like, i'm thinking i wasn't expecting him to say. >> host: i know. there's the political obama, a process for obama, and a philosophical obama. and the white house within the philosophical and the professorial and not enough of
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the clinical. i want to see similar political. good to have a fellow socialist call here. dan from chantilly, virginia. you are on c-span. >> caller: good morning, bill. i'm on my way to work. here's the thing. i don't know if it people don't get it, bill. i disagree with it. they understand the corporate democrats, so they had control. and into the corporations one. they want on drugs, importing drugs from canada. they just want on to the rules, not pushing through when they had a chance to get a better bill. >> host: the question, dan is should the president try to compromise with boehner and mcconnell? >> caller: know, because get this. this is what politicians don't understand, because if you do anything towards keeping taxes, if you do anything with them affirmatively, they will take credit for this economy recovering. it's like they did in 1996 with
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the tax hike, created the jobs. that's why they're pushing so hard to get a compromise on the taxes. >> host: know, dan, that's a good point. we will move on. that's a good point. they see this economy is coming back so they want to jump on board so they can take credit for. >> caller: how were you doing? no, he should not compromise. and, in fact, what he should do this term is push or progressive social programs that won't require any funding coming from the house. he should go for card check, the don't ask, don't tell, campaign reform, finance reform, things that are not going to require -- >> host: you know what? >> caller: getting some things
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done so citizens united case, corporations cannot be considered people. >> host: listen, i think that's a great idea. focus on the stuff that doesn't cost any money, that is good progressive legislation. that would be one way to really take advantage of the next two years. >> the official more show of the obama and generation. the bill press show. [inaudible conversations] >> it's a little chilly in the studio. she's probably out jogging. have we heard from van holland?
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>> not yet. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]
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[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> so i would to just we have something ready for that top. >> he's not coming in until 8:15? [bleep] shoot i meant to say.
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>> if we go -- >> damn, damn, damn. >> everything ready or and and break right after -- >> we can't get dorgan at eight? >> what's that? >> i guess not. >> not at this point. we can do something at the top, we can take calls at the top but will we have enough time with chris? >> if he is here at 8:15 if we break early, we will have a big segment there. >> all right. >> coming back. starting with tom in waterbury. ♪ >> this is the bill press show. >> e-mail, what a blast to be able to watch your radio show on c-span2. i got up extra early so i wouldn't miss a minute of the.
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it is so much fun to see you, dan end peter inaction. and we are. talking about cover my. thanks, lynn. tom is up in waterbury and etiquette. >> caller: he has compromise already. i'm not going to vote for him again. i supported him. i gave money. i will not vote for this president that i will just not vote. >> host: time, i think you better wait and see who the republicans but before you make that decision. doris has the last word from chicago. >> caller: good morning, bill. he should definitely not compromise. in fact, he should come out stronger. he should tell them no and he should work to the existing agencies to get his policy done. i mean, fund epa? they can do that. >> host: they're going to try. >> caller: i know but there is the senate to say no. >> host: and he has the veto pen. >> host: you're right. is a lot he can do without
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having to bend over for john boehner or mitch mcconnell. in the next hour, senator byron dorgan and congressman chris van hollen. so stay tuned. >> it is the bill press show. >> okay. so, great. i mean, do you think they really mean 8:15? >> yet. look, he could be late. >> that sucks, okay. >> here are the options. . .
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>> yeah. >> so, yeah. i think, you know, we've got enough calls rg right? take coughs. i mean -- calls. i mean, reset, take calls and then break early and have the time with him. >> okay. >> because we won't be able to get any calls with him.
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well, maybe -- >> maybe in the second set. >> with dorgan. >> okay. i'm just going to call them back at 8:15 and say, where are you? this. >> don't wait until then. >> i'm going to touch base with them now. if they're still five minutes away at -- >> oh, got it. >> if they're five minutes away, let's just keep going. there's no point in breaking. >> right. it doesn't work to have him and dorgan in the studio together. >> i don't think so. >> okay. well, that's what we'll do then. basically, still compromising, right? >> yeah. i think so. unless there was something else you wanted to get in, if you want to do another update at the top, a round-up. >> i say we stick with calls. >> all right, okay.
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>> good. ♪ >> bill press, good morning. thanks for holding. what's your first name? rick, where are you calling from? moline? and what's your comment? in the health care bill? yeah, well, i mean, i'm answering your question. it's one of the examples. like, any health care bill, like when he gave up on the public option?
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right. never did. all right, rick, f -- i've got you. hang on for me, don't go anywhere. thanks for holding. your first name? joy? hang on for me. thanks for holding. your first name? i'm sorry? frank. where are you calling from? and what's your comment? is sort of. we're talking about should obama compromise with, should he compromise with mitch mcconnell and the republicans. why not?
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sure, sure. hang on for me, don't go anywhere. bill press, food morning. can -- good morning. can you please hold? >> but now that we're going to be on five days a week -- >> yeah, right. just leave it here. >> probably leave it here. >> thanks for holding. your or first name? melong, where are you calling from? >> peter? >> and what's your comment? >> >> how about -- >> yeah. >> a little tina finishing -- fey ahead of time? >> that'll work. >> i really like the governor
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clip. >> and you both -- >> we can do both. >> hang on for me. >> all right. so, so tell me again what time we're going to get out? >> aim for 8:15. >> okay. >> worst case she their know -- >> so tell me -- yeah. >> when i talk to them a little bit before them, i'll tell you to keep going with calls. we've got calls. >> moline, illinois. >> bill press show, good morning. please hold. >> rick, hang on for me, going to get you on with billy in a few minutes, okay? >> moline, illinois? >> amad, minneapolis. hang on, going to try to get you on with billy in a couple minutes, okay?
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great, hang on. frank, buffalo, new york. all right, here we go. ♪ >> here we go. >> i enjoyed his company. he had a warmth and brash humor that made up for his comments about the retinue of women who supposedly still call him every night, his past football exploits, the celebrities he knew. >> this is the bill press show. >> out of many we all want, that
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while we breathe we hope, and where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that time lease creed that sums up the and spirit of a people -- yes, we can. >> the market roars back! 219 points on the dow yesterday. obama mommics is working. hey, good morning, everybody, it is the bill press show. welcome, welcome, welcome. good to see you today. the bill press show coming to you live coast to coast this friday, november 5, a very special show because today we're joined not only by all of our regular radio listeners but all of our guests on c-span2. welcome, welcome, welcome those of you in tv land across the country. thanks to brian lamb for sending the crew over and a special thanks to c-span2 for the show's been so successful so far, we've heard they're going to make i a regular, regular feature of
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c-span in the morning on c-span2 five days a week for three hours every morning. i think it's great, and we accept. we accept their nomination. >> just wait until brian lamb sobers up and realizes what he's done. >> what he's done, yeah. leave the cameras here, love the lights here. we love having you and having you all join us. and for you today on the bill press show from our little studio right here on capitol hill, just around the corner you can see the u.s. capitol building sick blocks away -- six blocks away. in the shadow of the capitol dome we sit ready to take your calls, and we've been talking about this morning whether or not the president should compromise with republicans, try to come propropoise with -- compromise with republicans. that's what the president says the message is of tuesday, but do you think it'll really work especially for our c-span viewers this morning we have three special phone calls, phone
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numbers for you. republicans, 866-55-press. the democratic number is 866-55-press, and the independent number is 866-55-press. the socialist number is 866-55-press. >> the rent is too damn high in america. >> 866-55-press. and the atheist matture bay to have number -- >> is your home number. [laughter] >> there you go, it's team press. as you can see, i'm not in charge around here. hello, guys, happy friday. >> good morning. >> it's always a good day when tina fey comes back. she was on david letterman last night, and he asked her can you still get into that sarah palin thing? >> she's extra sassy these days. all her mama grizzlies are winning. [laughter] they're busting through. busting through that glass
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ceiling. the mama grizzlies are going to washington, and they're going to flip your picnic table, babe, and they are going to go through that garbage. [applause] >> she's so good. but she does ask a question about why they still call her governor. >> you know what i noticed on fox news last night? on fox news they address her as governor. >> yeah, why? why? why? >> that's like calling me dairy queen employee. [laughter] i was once. but i quit. >> she quit too. hey, and check out our web site, too, bill press show.com. as always, we're selling on the web site free copy of my column if you want to read it, the latest column about americans don't get it. also your chance to order a copy of, signed copy of toxic talk, my new book, how the radical right has poisoned america's airwaves or to order a carol
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press scarf we're showing today. the bill press radio shopping finish. and we'll get to your calls on compromise or no compromise but first -- >> this is the full-court press. >> the headlines making news, fox news is known for picking up unsuccessful politicians and adding them to their payroll, but they have no interest in christine o'donnell. >> oh, get out of here. >> many speculated she'd become a member. they have no plans to hire her. >> i'm upset about this because aye been working on titles of what her show could be called, the witching hour with christine o'donnell. >> let me tell you, she'll get a job on fox. >> instead of the situation room, it could be the calderon, christine o'donnell. twister is getting closer to the halls of power. the social networking site made its first hire in washington, and it is a former c-span producer and capitol hill staffer -- >> steven scully?
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>> it's not steve scully. >> no? [laughter] >> the epicenter of politics and media. >> everybody twitters at the press briefings including me. >> including you. they may not have won the world series, but the texas rangers were happy with their manager's performance and renewed his contract. nolan ryan extended the contract with the team yesterday for two more years. >> boy. i hope they get enough money to keep buying those sunflower seed. >> yeah. >> constantly chewing sunflower seeds and spitting them all about. >> it's better than tobacco, you know? is. >> i guess so. i don't know. yes, so president obama said at his news concern on wednesday in the east room of the white house and he repeated it yesterday that the message of voters that he heard on tuesday is to try to work together, the two parties should sit down and work together and solve problems. the republicans say, no, the
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message from voters on tuesday is repeal everything. repudiate everything. by the way, chris van hollen and senator byron dorgan joining us shortly here in studio. but right now you are the guest. your calls. rick is calling from moline, illinois. hi, rick. >> hey, bill, how are you? >> host: are you calling on the republican, democratic, independent or social i line? >> caller: i'm calling to the right of reagan line. [laughter] >> host: well, moline, illinois. >> caller: curious thing, the 17th congressional district flipped back into republican hands for the first time in, what, 30 some years. >> host: is that right? >> >> caller: yeah. rock island county has gone republican for the first time ever. we're still in big problems. no, you made reference to the fact that obama and compromise. obama has not compromised at all. you mentioned the olive branch of him going up and talking to the republican caucus.
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there was a two-word headline bold print that came out of that thing: i won. that was barack obama's message to the republican caucus -- >> host: no, no, rick, you missed the point. he said, i want to come up, sit down and get your ideas on the stimulus. before he left the white house, john boehner gave a news conference saying that he would not get one republican vote for the stimulus. to me, i think it's pretty clear, obama was reaching out, boehner was stabbing him in the back. >> caller: well, how can you stand -- stab him in the back when you take him on head on which is exactly what boehner did? >> host: stop, stop, stop. i mean, this is just nonsense. get out of here. glenn beck has something for you. >> get off my phone, you little pinhead! >> host: thank you. yeah. you don't sit down to talk about things when before the conference even starts you have a news conference and say we reject everything the man offers. that is not compromise, and that's why i think obama would
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be making a big mistake to reach out to boehner or mcconnell. they're out to kill him politically. chris van hollen is here, he'll join us in just a minute. we'll take a quick break. >> buy your bill press show podcast. shows download straight to your computer, mp3 player or smartphone exclusively at bill press show.com. >> okay. >> this seat right here. >> yeah, just move it up. >> you haven't slowed down. i mean, come on. >> that's for sure. >> up and at it all right. >> good. that's nice of you to come in, appreciate it. >> not at all. >> i saw you tuesday night, and i left before they had made that call. >> yeah. >> in fact, i left the hotel, and i went over to media matters, and i walked up to some guy, and i said, so, what's the word? and he said they just called it,
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and i said -- >> i was going to say, you've been over the drill. your head phone volume is over the -- >> should i put these on? >> not now. when we go on the air. >> i don't know if we'll have any time to finish byron's coming in at 8:0. >> he's actually here. they came up on the same elevator. >> let's just talk about what the message is, what you're doing now. >> okay. >> yeah. >> i had a call from sam carr last night. sam, i have to tell you, he got 66% of the vote, he had four opponents. >> four o opponents? >> yeah. i said, sam, what'd you do, get 75, 80% this year? he said, no, i had four opponents. 66%. that's pretty good.
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[laughter] >> [inaudible] >> host: he's one of those guys that enjoys a -- not a district you can take for granted but still a pretty good district. >> yeah. >> host: i mean, monterey may be kind of conservative, but santa cruz -- >> santa cruz, i don't know the district that well pause we don't -- well, we just don't spend that much. >> host: santa cruz, carmel. >> that's your old stomping ground, right? is. >> yeah. well, i never lived there, but, of course -- >> on in two minutes. >> okay. the other thing about sam, it's an agricultural area, and he really works those farmers. >> does he? >> yeah. >> yeah. he's got a long history there. but, i mean, it's overwhelmingly a democratic district. >> uh-huh. >> you know, this election, we're still analyzing it.
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that's been a good part of yesterday, going over or the numbers. >> yeah. >> the rural areas, the towns and just a big, we got swamped by the vote in rural areas. >> are isn't it strange? -- isn't it strange? i mean, i've seen this map. when they do the geographic, that's what it looks like. >> someone said we lost half of our geographic territory. >> yeah, yeah. >> geographicically. red with big blue cities. we had made gains in these areas because of the swing. >> i know, yeah. >> so those are the areas that collapsed back. >> what was the final -- they picked up 62? >> >> there are still about five seats being counted. >> oh, is that right? >> right now the official number's 59, i expect we'll go up. >> yeah, yeah. >> and some of them has been,
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like, we've got bob etheridge's seat is up in the air, link larson -- rick larson's seat, ortiz's -- >> are these recounts or -- >> they haven't gone to recount yet. they're still mostly tracking down -- >> all right. coming back. >> enjoyed meeting your son the other night. he was partaking of the food at the -- [laughter] i asked him what was good, he said, the chicken's good. >> chicken's good? he said mom's brownies are much better, so -- >> yeah. >> coming back. ♪ >> this is the bill press show. >> 19 minutes after the hour now, the bill press show on this friday, november 5. a special edition of the bill press show live on c-span2 as well as our best radio audience as well.
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good to have you all onboard, and it's an honor to welcome into the studio our good friend, the congressman from montgomery county here in washington, d.c. but also, more importantly maybe, the chair of the democratic congressional campaign committee and a special assistant to speaker nancy pelosi, chris van hollen. hey, congressman, good to see you. >> guest: good to be with you, bill. >> host: you and i talked, and we were, you know, doing what we could here to help out and hoping for the best. it didn't turn out that way. 59, 60 seats the republicans picked up. why did they win that many seats? what do you attribute it to? what's the message? >> guest: well, bill, it was a rough week, and there's no sugar coating this. as the president said, we took a she lacking. i take some solace in the fact that close observers of this election recognize from a campaign perspective, our candidates did everything they could and had all the resources necessary. i think the president's right. i think the country is clearly
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hurting economically, people are still looking for work, millions of americans are uncertain about their economic future, and when you have 9.5% unemployment, that discontent is reflected at the ballot box. that is the main, was the main issue in this election, a sense that we hadn't moved more quickly out of a very severe economic town turn. people were frustrated and impatient. >> host: that's what the president says. john boehner, mitch mcconnell say the american people were saying we reject the policies of the obama administration. that was the message. >> guest: i disagree with that. obviously, in every congressional district there's some different dynamics at play, but there's no doubt there were uniform aspects of this election as well, and i think the one underlying issue in every one of them was this plussation and impatience with the recovery and the fact that the economic
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collapse started on the watch of the previous president and the fact that the republican candidates didn't offer any new ideas as to how we would get out of this mess clearly did not resonate with voters. >> host: did health care prove to be a poison pill for democrats? >> guest: i don't think so at all. obviously, in certain races it was an important issue -- >> host: but there were people who voted against it who also lost. >> guest: i was going to say, if you look at the pattern here, you have people who voted against health care, who voted against the stimulus, who voted against almost every measure losing, and then you have people like tom perriello who voted for them also losing. so the one pattern in this election was, you know, democrats were punished for the fact that the economy has not rebounded and recovered more quickly. i should say if you look at the pattern of these elections, the overwhelming number of losses were taken in congressional
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districts that george bush carried in the 2004 midterm elections. if you go back to that election soik l, it was kind -- cycles it was kind of a flat political environment, there was no wind to anyone's face or to anyone's back. >> host: yeah. >> guest: and there have been 84 democrats in the house who represent congressional districts that george bush carried in that 2004 election. that's where most of the losses were sustained. >> host: and as i looked at it, you mentioned tom perriello who's a great guy, that it wasn't just freshman who lost, right? >> it wasn't just newcomers like patrick murphy, also, in pennsylvania, but you had ike skelton, john spratt, paul kanjorski in pennsylvania. it, it was across the board young and old. right? >> is just because they had a d after their names. >> guest: well, that's the pattern here, and you look at the guy like ike skelton who's been just a great champion for the veterans and the men and
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women in our armed forces, he has represented a district that has leaned republican. that is a district that george bush carried in 2004 as is the district of john spratt. >> host: uh-huh. >> guest: and, you know, what the voters were saying was, look, we are impatient with the lack of a faster economic turn around. in every district there are other elements to the race. i should say that what was a big political storm was, certainly, made worse and turned into a, you know, type 2 hurricane, type 3, 4 hurricane because of all this -- [inaudible] themselves have acknowledged they would not have won had it not been for this massive infusion of secret money that just got air dropped into congressional districts in the last couple weeks. >> host: all right. so in your position, congressman chris van hollen our guest here
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in studio -- thank you again for coming in -- what to you do? you got she lacked, as you said. you lost 59, 60 seats. you lost control of the house of representatives. you cry for one day, but then what coi do you do? >> guest: well, you've got to pick yourself back up and keep on going. as republicans have acknowledged, some of the republican strategists and commentators, this was not an election that was an endorsement of republican policies. in fact, i do think voters recognized the policies they were offering were nothing more than a remix of the past. it did turn out -- >> host: they admitted that. >> guest: yeah. it did turn out to be a referendum on the state of the economy, and because democrats were in charge, democrats in charge of the white house, the house and the senate people said, look, we're not happy with the state economy, we're going to hold these guys accountable. so we hear that, we understand that. our charge now is to make sure that we work with everyone who's
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willing to work with us to try and make sure we get people back to work. that has been our goal. we have not been as successful as we wanted. clearly, the numbers show that. we'll get a new set of numbers out today. later today in terms of the up employment figures -- unemployment figures. >> host: yeah, soon. >> guest: yeah. and all of us need to work together to move this country out of the economic -- >> host: now, that's -- >> guest: -- position that it's in right now, and that's why it was disheartening to hear people like mitch mcconnell, the senate republican leader, saying that his top priority but not jobs, but it was simply dedicating himself to insuring that barack obama doesn't get a second term. >> host: that's the policy side. but in the pragmatic, practical side of winning the house back you start recruiting candidates, start raising money, start identifying districts that you think you can get back, is that -- >> guest: well, that is correct, and i think a number of the
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democratic candidates who lost this time in what was, clearly, a wave will take a look at whether or not it makes sense for them to run again. because, again, this was a larger message about the state of the economy. it was not an endorsement of the republican candidates. and republican candidates that interpret it that way do so at their own peril. and so i think you're going to have a lot of these democratic candidates that, you know, take another look at reconnecting with the voters and, you know, talking about how their plans for moving the country forward. >> host: and somebody is going to have to lead that effort. you have done so, now, as i believe, for three terms, three, you know -- yeah. right? >> >> guest: well, in 2006 i worked with my colleague, rahm emanuel -- >> host: okay. >> guest: i was recruited chair at that time, 2008. obviously, 2006 --
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>> host: all right, how about are you ready for another turn of the wheel here? >> >> guest: bill, when it comes to the dccc chairmanship, i believe in term limits. this will be the end. two cycles is, really, probably the maximum most people have done. a lot of people only do it one time. after 2008 i had actually considered stepping down and even made an announcement at the time. >> host: yeah, i remember. >> guest: the speaker came to me and said we need someone to do this job who doesn't have training wheels, and i was happy to take on what we knew was going to be a very challenging cycle. >> host: i want to thank you for the great leadership you've shown there at the dcc even though this time it didn't turn out as well. will nancy pelosi be the minority leader of the democrats? >> guest: i think the choice is hers. she has an enormous reservoir of goodwill. the republicans spent millions demonizing her, but she has been a successful leader, so the
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decision is hers. >> host: congressman chris van hollen, thanks for stopping by. we'll be back with senator byron dorgan. thanks, congressman, good to see you. >> guest: thank you. >> this is the bill press show. >> host: all right. [laughter] >> oh, man. >> host: you know -- [inaudible conversations] >> thanks for coming in. >> thank you. thanks for having me. >> that great. that was great. >> how you doing? >> byron. >> you want to come in with me, when he sits down make sure we get a good camera shot? >> yeah, absolutely. >> okay.
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[inaudible conversations] >> same publishing group. >> oh, i see. >> but not with tom. >> three minutes out. why don't we go ahead and slide in. >> okay. [inaudible conversations] >> yeah, they're getting, they're getting rocked. >> so here's headphone for you. >> okay. >> and then the volume for the headphones is right here, too loud or too soft. >> all right.
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>> and, yeah, we are, we are on c-span. oh, yeah, the poster's fantastic. is that, is that good? okay, great. cool. >> we have laura out there. >> yeah, there she is. our number one fan. [laughter] >> i don't know where they got that. i think they got it from some -- [inaudible] it's been here as long as i've been here. talk radio conference. she's there always with a watchful eye. >> yeah. >> so i should get to it. bill? is. >> oh, byron can do it without me. >> yeah, right. >> is how you doing? >> i'm good. >> what are you looking for? >> [inaudible] >> right there on top. >> so we took a pretty good beating, huh? didn't we? >> yeah.
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i know. he ran the best campaign he could run, but so much money came in from the outside. >> is that right? >> yeah. and i think it just wasn't in the card for him. he turned more republican, more conservative. >> dan probably told you, this microphone is always on even during the break. >> okay. >> yeah. i've already used a word that i shouldn't use on the air, so -- [laughter] i'm more the one to warn than you. well, i want to talk about what do you think we can do -- first of all, what do you think happened and why and, also, what do you think we can do, if anything, during the lame duck because the president's talking about -- [inaudible] >> i'm just going to tell you real quick, when you're on the air, you can move this off to the side, it's better for the camera angle. >> george -- i mean, josh -- i'm keeping an eye on the jobs stuff. >> and we'll have the jobs
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number coming in. >> unchanged at 9.6%,. >> what? 9.6? is. >> unchanged. >> oh, 151,000. >> 151 created in october according to cnn. >> private sector, i guess? >> yeah. we'll get you more details. all right, here we go. >> so, peter? do you want to try to take some calls at 45? >> sure. >> is that all right with you? is. >> sure. ♪ >> this is the bill press show. >> host: we've got 33 minutes after the hour, it is the bill press show brought to you today, by the way, on c-span2 as well as our regular radio audience. we welcome all of you, especially our new friends from c-span2. and the show brought to you today by asme, the largest public employee and health care workers' union.
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for more information, go to their web site at www at any time afscme.org. and proud to welcome into our studio today a good friend, a senator who will soon no longer be a senator, sadly, that's his choice, senator byron dorgan from north dakota. hey, senator, good to see you. >> caller: thanks for having me. >> host: you're shaming us. this is radio, you look like -- >> guest: yeah, you know, i've got a necktie on. >> host: indeed. we just saw that new job numbers for the month of october, 151,000 new private sector jobs created, unemployment rate stays at 9.6%. what's that tell you? >> guest: well, we're coming, you know? is i mean, slow but, again, go back two years, just put it in the reverse, go back two years. we were losing 700,000 jobs a month. think of that, 700,000 jobs -- losing. i mean, you know, people being
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called in saying, you're done, you're fired, your job's gone. now it's turned around some, and we have some additional jobs being added, but it's too slow. i mean, we need to push more of a boost into this economy because we've got to get people back on payrolls. >> host: here's what i don't understand, and you've written a book about this, "take this snob and ship it." your new book, "reckless: how debt, deregulation and dark money nearly bankrupted america," i mean, this has been an area you've focused on. how is it that we keep -- we're now, i think this is maybe the ninth or tenth month where we're actually creating new jobs. as you say, not nearly enough. but the unemployment rate remains the same at 9.6%. what is that -- how? >> guest: as you know, our population is growing, so you need to create a certain amount of jobs each month just to stay even. yeah. we're coming. i talked to treasury secretary geithner yesterday about some things and asked him his sense
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of these numbers that we've seen recently, and, i mean, i think most of them believe that the danger of a second downturn, you know, has fairly well passed and we're now on the road. what we need to do is provide some propellant to this economy that can lift it and put people back on payrolls. you mentioned the first book i wrote, "take this job and ship it." consider this a bathtub, you know? as you're trying to put money in with the faucet, you know, get jobs into this tub, you also have to close the drain, stop jobs from moving out of this country to other countries, and that's been happening for far too long, and we need to deal with both. put more jobs into this economy and stop jobs from moving to other countries. >> host: and just before the break you had a piece of legislation on the floor of the senate. i think it got to the floor, which would have taken away some of these credits for companies that are moving jobs overseas. republicans blocked it. any chance for that now? >> guest: well, i don't know. i hope that every member of congress would understand that
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the last thing in the world you ought to do when you have the kind of trouble we have is to continue to provide tax breaks for people that would fire their workers, put a padlock on the door of their manufacturing plant and ship the jobs to china. it's been going on and, frankly, we subsidize it through the tax code. it's just absolutely ignorant economic policy. >> host: and yet the u.s. chamber of commerce says outsourcing, sending jobs overseas is the way we stay competitive in the global economy. >> guest: they sure do, and they're with their dark suits and red neckties and having neatings about it. they're not losing their job. it'd be interesting if we could outsource the chamber of commerce, maybe they'd change their minds on these things. [laughter] >> host: you've got my vote. senator byron dorgan in the studio with us on the bill press show. the president used the word she lacking, i was there in the east room when he did it. it was not a good night for democrats, lost six seats in the senate and lost 60 seats and control of the house of representatives including your
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good friend earl pomeroy from north dakota. what were the voters saying, what do you think? why? >> guest: i don't know. to use an old line, it sort of felt like going through a car wash with a convertible. i mean, we really got scrubbed. my colleague, congressman pomeroy, is a great congressman, terrific guy. he ran, i think, an outstanding campaign, and it just there for him -- wasn't there for him. you know, look, the american people have a right to do what they want to do. they're in charge. the late claude pepper used to say, you know, every even-numbered year the constitution provides a miracle, and the miracle is the american people get to grab the steering wheel and nudge it to say here's where we want america to go. >> host: yeah. >> guest: it is not surprising that coming through the most significant economic downturn since the great depression that people are anxious, nervous, concerned about them, their family, their future. that's not surprising -- >> host: and the biggest unemployment rate staying -- >> guest: i understand that. but, and so, you know, they use
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their vote to send a message. but it seems to me, now, with the change in the house and over 60 pickups on the republican side, they're not going to be able to do what they did for the last two years. even while this country was in trouble, their position is we're going to block everything. well, this country doesn't need more blocking. what it needs is people to help lift and give people some confidence about the future. >> host: and the president is saying that, first of all, he's willing to -- and eager to sit down with john boehner, with mitch mcconnell and see areas of agreement, areas that they can work on. do you think there is any possibility of compromise with this gang? i mean, you've seen them. >> guest: yeah, well, there's no evidence of that in the last two years, but i hope that's the case because the lubricant of a democracy is when people who come together who believe different things, they reach compromise. and what we have these days is people who have decided if we're going to reach some compromises,
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it's only going to be on our terms. in fact, what this election also shows is that those on the republican side who did compromise, they in some cases got booted out of office. >> host: yeah. >> guest: but compromise is essential. and, you know, it's sort of become a dirty word. it has, and it should not be. but senator mcconnell seem to be saying, you know, we want to work with the president in areas where he will agree with us. [laughter] >> host: that's clever, but -- >> guest: it's not the way things can work. he has said that, i think, word for word. >> host: if he's willing to agree with us on -- we'll work with him. otherwise -- >> guest: that's not called a concession, is it? look, i want to get the best ideas of both parties rather than the worst of each. both parties can contribute to this country, and especially as sick as our economy has been as we try to promote economic health, let's get them to come together and now and see if we can work together. >> host: so there will be the first opportunity which is the so-called lame duck session.
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again, wednesday when i was there the president said he thinks there are some areas where they can get some things done. i'm not sure, maybe immigration reform is too big for that session. >> guest: right. >> host: certainly on the tax cuts he thinks there's some -- >> guest: right. >> host: what do you think can be accomplished? let's start with the, with the tax cuts. are the votes there to extend tax cuts for the middle class? are they there to extend them for the wealthy? >> guest: don't know. my view is we should extend them for the middle class for about two years and then take a look at where we are -- >> host: even for the middle class? >> guest: yes. look, we have a $13 trillion debt, we have a roughly $1.4 trillion yearly deficit, we've got the soldiers at war strapping on ceramic body armor this morning, getting shot at this afternoon. can't we probably pay the cost of these wars? we haven't done it for nine years. we have to be sober and serious about what our responsibilities
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are for the country's economy. i just jotted a note here of what's many front of us and what has to be done by january 1st. the bush tax cuts expire, the estate tax springs back to one million, husband and wife 55%. the continuing resolution expires december 3rd on all the appropriations. >> host: okay. >> guest: the dock fix, there'll be a 30% reduction in doctors' fees under medicare on january 1st unless something intervenes, unemployment k3e7b saying expires at the end of -- for two million people at the end of december, and you've got the starr treaty that really needs to get done in december. >> host: i think you add one more thing to the list, the debt ceiling? or is that in january? >> guest: i think it's in january, but i'm not certain of that. >> host: well, even with this list, right? i mean, what are the chances? given the record of the last two years and the ability to get around the filibuster and get things done, what are the
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chances any one of those six are going to get done? is. >> guest: well, some are going to have to get done because the consequences of not doing them creates a decision that's unpalatable. you think there's going to be a 30% cut in physician reimbursement under medicare for the -- >> host: neither party could survive that. >> guest: no. so there has to be resolve somehow. the question is when you put something together that begins to resolve these issues, can you reach agreement that both parties would say, yeah, this makes some sense? >> host: and i want to come back to the tax cuts because the follow up extends the middle class tax cuts for two years, the president originally said no way, no how, we have to borrow too much money. now he's saying he's open to talking about maybe a temporary extension of that. would you support that? >> guest: well, i -- >> host: one or two years of the top two? >> guest: i'd prefer shot to, but my own guess is an extension across the board for probably
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two years. i would prefer we take a look at this and say, all right, what are the costs of this? >> host: right. >> guest: we've had a substantial reduction in revenue. you lose about $400 billion on the revenue side, and then the economic stabilizers kick in, unemployment and food stamps and so on, so you have a dramatic uptick in ec pendtures. it seems to me the american people were also saying with their vote, get this fiscal policy in order. stop this deficit spending. address these issues. and part of it has to be on the expenditure side, tightening our belts in a way that's thoughtful, and part of it has to be on the revenue side. >> host: senator byron dorgan in studio with us. you don't often get a chance to ask a senator a question, but you've got it this morning. 866-55-press, that's the democratic number. the republican number is 866-55-press, and the independent number is 866-55-press. we'll be back with your calls and senator byron dorgan. ♪
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>> the time for bickering is over. the time for games have passed. >> you're listening to the official morning show of the obama generation. this is the bill press show. >> what's your first name? tom. >> i know, i know. we've been working with some dates but -- and we definitely want to go to venice. >> thank you, america. >> i've been looking at possible cruise. so what, who's your new senator? he's the governor, right? >> yeah. he's a good guy. i've known john for a long time. he used to be a democrat. >> is that right? is. >> he got his start in politic because senator conrad and i supported him to become president of a bank in minnesota when he was -- >> oh, is that right? >> but he's, you know, john's a good guy and, you know -- >> was he in congress before? >> no. he was president of the bank of
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north dakota and then became governor. yeah. >> but that seat was never one that was really -- >> yeah. >> how about lisa murkowski? i think she's going to win. >> it looks like it, although they have 160 names that filed as independents, so there are 41 -- they have sent independent ballots, but the question is what percent of those are marked for lisa. >> yeah, yeah. but those other guys came on at the end. she had all the publicity. >> she's a good senator. i like lisa, and i've worked closely with her. >> yeah. it kind of surprised me that she said she'd come back here and caucus with the republicans after what they did to her, you know? but -- >> well -- >> it's where her heart is, i guess. >> it is. and there's a tradition, her father was a senator and it's a conservative state, of course, republican state. interesting, remember when hawaii -- i wasn't around, but when hawaii and alaska came in, they figured alaska would be
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democrat and hawaii would be republican. >> it was exactly the opposite. >> they brought both of them in as states at the same time -- >> oh, i see. >> the expectation was -- >> yeah, yeah. >> what was going to happen, and it turned out not to be the case. >> so i did want to ask you what you're going to be doing next, but let's take a couple of calls first. >> yeah. and i can't -- well, i can -- >> [inaudible] >> you're working on 'em? >> i'm doing some writing, but otherwise you can't make -- >> whatever. yeah, yeah. yeah. >> you still having a lot of fun doing it? now joseph a. banks, do you ever -- [inaudible conversations] >> i know, i see them. in fact, well, i see them because i'm always watching the monitors here. >> yeah.
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>> i'll get you some more as they come in. >> to tell the truth, since i'm not doing television every day, i haven't bought a suit in years. >> is that right? >> i mean, why? >> yeah. >> spend the money on good wine instead. [laughter] whatever. >> c-span doing your whole program today? >> all three hour, yeah. >> good. >> yeah. it's been fun. >> [inaudible] >> okay. ♪ the thing is, they keep it on during the break, so -- >> simulcasting live on c-span, join in the conversation. republicans call 866-55-press. democrats, call 866-55-press. and independents call 866-55-press. this is the bill press show. >> host: socialists, call 866-55-press or whatever. [laughter] hey, how about it? it's 12 minutes, now, before the
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top of the hour. this is the bill press show on friday, november 5. in studio with us, north dakota senator byron dorgan. we are talking about what happened on tuesday and why and what's going on with the economy and taking your calls. senator, how about we say hello to pam from seattle. hello, pam, good morning. >> caller: good morning, bill. >> host: yes. >> caller: and just want to let brian dorgan know that the stimulus money that came down and the federal tax credits for solar are working near washington state. we have a crazy, just amazing market for solar. putting solar on people's houses, starting to put in the infrastructure for the electric cars. i've got an energy of-efficient operation going. identify just hired -- i've just hired six people this year including a vet, and it is so exciting. i wish other people had this kind of energy. >> host: there, there you go. >> caller: well, pam, what a nice thing to have a positive call on a talk show. [laughter] but, you're right. i mean, as you know, i'm the
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principle author of the electric vehicle act where we want to move on these issues to solar energy, wind energy, and there's a whole lot of investment been made as a result of the economic recovery act -- >> host: you know, you wouldn't think of seattle as a police where sew la -- place as solar would work. >> caller: yeah, but when the sun does shine, man, is that a beautiful city. >> caller: well, everybody's producing at max. it's not what you think, and a lot of americans don't know this stuff. >> host: yeah, i know. look, absolutely. and i say that as the proud opener of a solar house in california. >> guest: good for you. >> host: we've been off the grid ever since we built that house in 1-9d 80. buffalo, good morning. >> guest: first-time caller and, senator, you have served us well, and i'm sorry to see you go. this is my question and frustration. why is it that we have the
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availability of all this technology, libraries are still free as far as it's included in our taxes and so forth, and the ignorance seem to abound? is it -- could it be, possibly, from the way we start off telling our american history, tending that our jumping point tends to start when we start looking good, yet we gloss over the murderous fact of the native american history? why don't we start history from the beginning and not at our selective jumping-off, romantic point? >> host: all right, take your answer on the air. >> guest: well, that's a big question. >> yeah, senator. [laughter] >> guest: you know, i self-confess that most members of congress have the attention span of a gnat, so it is true that the attention span of the american people is shorter as well. that's why when you watch television these days, you see every program now has these little seven-second jump cuts
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here just because you've got to keep people's attention, and the attention span is short. i really wish that we would have had, for example, in this campaign -- and it did not happen -- an extended debate, a real debate about the issues and where america needs to move. but this debate was always about who's the worst rather than who's the best and not about ideas. >> host: no, absolutely. i compare it to americans with elections today are like people sitting on the couch with a clicker watching tv, you know? five seconds of this, five seconds of that, change parties, change channels, it's all the same. david's out in santa monica. this is the byron dorgan fan club on the bill press show. david's in santa monica. >> caller: yes, hi. i just want to ask the senator what the legislators are doing to stop the subsidizing through the walmart storeses and the target stores? people that are on welfare and social security and getting benefits from the federal government using their checks to buy these chinese products and all these imported products.
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why can't it be that these checks come with a requirement that they have to buy american products? >> host: all right, david. >> guest: i wrote a whole book about that, david. >> host: yeah. "take this job and ship it." >> host: exactly. >> guest: the title is walmart and china, dancing in the dark. so get the book, read -- i'm not asking you to go buy the book, go to the library and read that chapter. you know, it is a real serious problem, this issue of outsourcing and whether made in america is a label you'll find in the places again. if i might just mention one thing, etch a sketch, almost every kid has used etch a sketch. it was head in bryant, ohio. it was their rather small town, great factory, everybody understood this product. and now it's not there anymore. it's in china because walmart went to etch a sketch and said it has to be made at the chinese price or we won't market it in walmart, and if you're a toy and
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you're not on the shelves in walmart, you're in the trouble. so the jobs left ohio and went to china. but that's replicated over and over and over again, and that's something we have to fix. >> host: so, senator byron dorgan, you're not going to be around much longer. again, your choice -- >> guest: well, i hope i'm around. >> host: not in the u.s. senate. [laughter] >> guest: help me out here, would ya? >> host: but you are going to be there for the lame duck session, so i just want to know, we're counting on you to get all those -- you gave us a list of six things that need to be done. we're counting on you. >> guest: i'm working on it. >> host: senator byron dorgan, i'll be back with a very quick parting shot. >> this is the bill press shot. >> guest: that was good. that was fun thanks. >> host: yeah, how about those -- [laughter] you're wonderful. you're wonderful. >> tip o'neill was incapable of saying byron. you know, montana --
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>> is that right? >> it didn't matter -- [inaudible conversations] >> he just was incapable of saying it. >> oh, we want to get a picture here. >> oh, quick picture. >> yeah. >> one, two, three, beautiful. >> we'll work a date out. >> two minutes. >> well, that was fun, bill. anytime.
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[inaudible conversations] >> yeah. >> you're back in about 90 seconds or so. >> and so monday? >> john heilemann, author of "bring change," will be joining i. >> okay. >> all right? >> yeah.
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>> hey, first thing's first, i need you to grab van hollen right near the end where he said he's stepping down as head of dccc, how close he's going to run for it for sure. >> cool. >> [inaudible] >> okay. >> eric, i'm sorry bill deny have time -- didn't have time to get to your call. thank you so much. >> mitch, i'm sorry, bill got your comment i'll pass it on. thanks so much for listening,
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man. have a great day. >> the parting shot with bill press. >> this is the bill press show. >> host: my quick parting shot for today, okay, enough gloom and doom. yeah, it wasn't a good week this week, but we also can't forget there is a silver, silver lining to this cloud. one, democrats still control the u.s. senate and, two, president obama's still in the white house. nothing is going to get around his veto pen, and he still has the most powerful bull horn in the land for getting his message out. so i say take heart, my fellow liberals. as nancy pelosi says, don't agonize, organize. don't agonize, organize, and let's start now fighting to get power back in 2012. all right, with that parting shot i remind you that i'll see you sunday morning on the mclaughlin group. check it out, your local
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listing. thanks all after our regular radio listeners, thanks all of our extra friends joining us today from c-span2. have a great weekend, see you back on the radio on monday! >> it's the bill press show! >> there we go. >> last shot for c-span. >> i know. one last shot for brian lamb. he gets the last word, as always! good. [laughter] >> all right. [laughter]
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this is brian. [laughter] i'll listen to it later. he thinks, i mean, we don't tell anybody -- are we still going on here? >> no. i think we're off at -- >> all right, look. at some point, they've got to turn the cameras off, right? [laughter] anyhow, this is brian lamb, he said that we don't tell people, he's reading e-mails. people think that that's the way he always talks. >> well, it is. [laughter] >> brian lamb's a vulgar man! no, no,

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