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tv   Hardball With Chris Matthews  MSNBC  May 16, 2019 4:00pm-5:01pm PDT

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very conversation. before i go, a programming note about tomorrow. a very special fall back friday with my today show colleague, al roker and moby. they will be on the beat tomorrow with a whole lot more. that does it for us tonight. up next, a live event from "hardball" with chris matthews, the deciders, the pennsylvania voter. it's hard to believe the first big event of the campaign is a month away now. nbc news, msnbc and telemundo down in miami. i'm proud to say the national conversation begins tonight right here in north eastern pennsylvania and the democratic candidates and donald trump should be watching, because what people say here tonight is important to all americans,
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democrats and republicans and those who don't trust either party. history show that is the people in this room are the deciders. if you want to win, you have to win here in pennsylvania. >> the state of pennsylvania is going to win so big. >> pennsylvania in the trump column, the apparent winner and that makes the trump the president-elect. >> the crucial swing state of pennsylvania, republican red for the first time in years. >> i'm here in pennsylvania and the reason we are visiting these states is pretty simple. donald trump won them 2.5 years ago. we are not going to let him win them in 2020. >> pennsylvania has the highest student loan debt in the country. >> for i am going to beat donald trump in 2020, it's going to happen here in northeast pennsylvania. >> we're love wilkes bury. we love this area.
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we love the state of pennsylvania and we are bringing it back. tonight i'm live on the floor of the company in lu zern county that voted democratic for decades including twice for barack obama. this county went big for donald trump. where do things stand right now tonight? for the next hour, we will hear from the voters, both democrats and republicans. union and small business owners and teachers and nurses and students and retirees. some support trump, some don't. we want to talk, argue, maybe get angry. hopefully not too much. we are here to listen and to learn and at the end of the hour, we know where we stand. including perhaps places where
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we might actually agree. we begin with the man who occupies the oval office, donald trump. let's start talking to the voters starting with vito deluca. you did something that i found that made everybody so interested in the county. you voted for obama and then for donald trump. explain that. >> i voted for obama in 2012. i didn't vote for him in 2008. i voted for trump in 16. >> you didn't like hillary or liked trump or didn't like something about the democratser or liked trump? >> for me it was insider versus outsider. i got the same feeling in 1992 with ross perot. if i believed an independent could pull it off, i probably would have supported ross perot back then. i was tired of the same political message. it certainly wasn't an issue
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base for me. i can tell you that. i did not agree on so many things that i believe that trump stood for. again, "the insider" versus outsider was a big thing. >> what do you like about an outsider who never held government office. no foreign policy experience. nothing like that. you thought he would be the best guy to run the country. >> i believed he would put people in positions that could take care of those things. i wanted someone who i believed would take a different approach to government and dealing with government. somebody who was not a lifetime politician. i really believed that from the people i have spoken to in our area through the campaign as well as after when i tried to identify specific issues that they look to trump to be able to satisfy for them.
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in most cases if it was more the fact that we want someone who is not part of the process already. >> donna, we are talking about people like vito. about 1/8 of the voters switched. they voted for obama and then trump. what do you think generally? >> i think the people in northeast pennsylvania thought the economic development and the jobs and employment and increase in salary would be their feimai focus in the trump presidency. that's basically while they voted for him. >> it was 5.4 and dropped to 3.9. >> it has dropped because no one is bringing in any new development into the area. it's sad to say, we have teachers working in our schools
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that are in the classroom all day and going into a part-time job at night. >> robert, what do you think about this? i read somewhere because you did a preview that you didn't like the democrats. you call them san francisco democrats. explain. >> i did. i think the whole aurora of hillary clinton and her progressive left movement, they left the blue dog and the reagan democrats homeless. donald trump came through on his campaign and provided a refuge for the middle of the road voter and the working blue collar person who sits at their family table and decides whether or not they will pay for gas for their vehicle or if they will pay mortgage or taxes on their house. i think the idea of jobs that can provide for the families was a message that resonated and donald trump struck home on it. >> trump never came out against social security or medicare. he has done a little bit of
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cutting medicare lately. this san francisco democrat. explain the shot. it's a shot. >> i think it's the whole idea of the democratic party moving further and further left. i think one thing that will come up in the later part of the conversation is the idea of where a moderate candidate might be able to give trump a solid run for his money. >> somebody closer to the center? >> i think so. both parties are moving further and further away from the centralist ideas. around here it's behind the hardworking and the construction workers and the electrician and the truck drivers. the fiscally conservative. >> does he ever make you wins? >> all the time. i sit at home watching and say why did you -- why did you say
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that? at the same time he has no filter. he completely left political correctness out into the wind and our nitty-gritty tough working coal mining heritage, that's why people resonated with him. >> lynette, what do you think? we talk about what happened here. why did this state when i was telling everywhere. don't worry. trump can't win. can't win. it's not going to happen here. and it did. why? >> because donald trump was somebody who came in and he was a business man and he was somebody who wasn't a politician and he listened. people felt like he was listening. his economic message which is coming true more and more every day, that was one of the biggest things. we carried this county by 29,000 votes. it wasn't republican-democrat. it was people coming to support somebody. >> does this make you proud to be american? >> absolutely.
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[ boos ] more and more every day. >> where is mike? sir? you have a thought on this subject? you first, sir. go ahead. what do you think about this trump. trump carried this 57, 58%. that's a strong majority. a town that had not voted republican since george bush senior. what happened? >> to me, washington and both sides of the aisle are corrupt. i don't trust them at all. we wasted so many decades and look what's happening now, for example. you elected trump and the last 2.5 years, the democrats got the house back. okay. what do they do? they go back and forth, blocking each other back and forth. haven't done nothing for the american people. if they want to block them for
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four years until the next election -- >> do you think trump played ball with the russians in 2016? >> let me tell you something. >> do you think he played ball? >> i'm not going to insult your iqs, but -- >> what's that verb? >> you have to listen to this, right? just because of commercials and ads and you guys want to talk about the russian diagnosis this and that. if the russians went in computer-wise and changed everybody's votes, okay. we have done it in the history of the united states all the time, okay. >> what? okay. >> then i would say yeah, we got a problem. >> where are you on the other conspiracy theories. do you believe the attack on 9/11 was done by the terrorists? >> that's here -- i don't know. that's kind of crazy. >> you are not a truther, are you? do you think obama was born in
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kenya? do you buy this stuff? >> i'm just saying. >> that's great. >> unless you are in with the saudis, who knows what went on. all i know is a tragedy. >> freedom of speech. are you with this guy or what? [ boos ] he ran for the senate and a prominent congressman for life if he stayed there. you are mayor hazelton. the issue -- we will get there later, but the issue of illegal immigration, was that a big part of the fact of trump winning? >> it was huge. especially here in north eastern pennsylvania in an area where you have hardworking coal miners. >> who does coal miners have to do with not liking illegal immigration. >> the point i'm making is folks here have a strong immigrant --
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>> [inaudible]. >> sir. >> have you been to general. >> yes, i have been in this area my whole life. my grandfather was. >> we are getting off on a different subject. >> congressman first, then you, sir. why is immigration a big issue. >> this is an area with a strong immigrant background. they welcomed immigrants. we still -- hazelton has its sections where the irish and the italians live. the slovaks. they recognize that this is a country of immigrants. what they don't understand is illegal immigration. they don't understand it. they understand it oppresses the wages of the working people. >> who do you trust to deal with this? you're next. who do you trust with illegal
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immigration to slow it down if not stop it? >> i trust president trump. [ boos ] >> do you trust the democrats to stop it? >> absolutely not. >> tom perez is chairman of the democratic national committee. why should people who do care about illegal immigration, those who do care want to stop and why should they trust the democrats rather than trump to deal with the situation? >> listen, chris. what we have known for decades is if you want to solve immigration challenges, you have to do so in a bipartisan way. ronald reagan did it. bill clinton did it and barack obama and the republicans in the united states senate did it together. the challenge is we have a president who doesn't want to solve the problem.
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it is a wedge issue for him and he is using it to divide. in so doing, chris, he is making us less safe. when you divert tsa from airports to the border, the 9/11 folks came in through the airports! this is working with our allies. when you insult your allies, it makes it harder to solve the problem. >> thank you so much. sir, we want to go back to your question about the job situation here and job security which is what i hear about. talk about it. >> i'm a member of the international brotherhood my whole life. i heard this gentleman talk about san francisco democrats. i heard this gentleman talk about getting involved in mueller. it's gimmicks. this is what happened in 2016.
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gimmicks. [ applause ] he came in, the democrats, i'm a democrat, a lifelong democrat. my grandfather was a democrat. they told us something on the republican party thinking they were for us. democrats, mr. perez, the candidate has to come here. they have to talk about worker's rights. right to work is a huge issue in pennsylvania. we can't have candidates that are only concerned with social issues. a social issue for me is the ability to go out and provide for my family. with justices now on the supreme court because of the gimmicks used to get conservative nominees, janice went through. i as a union member don't have as many rights now. someone can come in and no offense, mr. matthews, but if right to work goes through federally, you can be an
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electrician. i don't want to be a tv host. i don't think you would want me running your show. >> you can learn it faster than being an electrician. i will have them respond to you. >> the way that i have seen this is this county specifically and that's what we were here to talk about, a space with a 2-1 registered democrat to republican and how that situation could result in such a situation where the republican wins. this area in north eastern pennsylvania, blue, hardworking honest people who have been beat down by the coal years and years ago who had the gas industry in recently and who have seen public opinion with the same thing and a situation with corruption. 2016 was really the perfect storm for this to happen. >> i'm hearing two things and i'm listening.
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i do listen. i talk with my -- i listen with my tongue sometimes, but i listen. people want job security especially for their kids and jobs they don't have to go 300 miles away to get a job and focus on the economy and not the social issues. you made that point. thank you so much. more from the county. stick with us. more from the county stick with us. fact is, every insurance company hopes you drive safely. but allstate actually helps you drive safely... with drivewise. it lets you know when you go too fast... ...and brake too hard. with feedback to help you drive safer. giving you the power to actually lower your cost. unfortunately, it can't do anything about that. now that you know the truth...
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>> they tell you they are not sharing in this prosperity. >> our country is doing well. never has done as well as it's doing right now economically. welcome back to "hardball." live with the deciders. the deciders we are calling them that in pennsylvania. this county went for donald trump in 2016 after decades of voting for democrats, including twice for obama. that was president trump in some of his democratic challengers talking about the economy. under normal circumstances, this strong economy with lower than 4% unemployment would make an incumbent like trump a big favorite, but we'll see. joining me now, thank you all for joining us. i want to talk about the economy. it doesn't rise everywhere at the same rate. you have a particular case. it's scary. how much do you owe? student loans? >> i owe about $160,000 in
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student loans. i pay $2100 a month in student loans. i'm very lucky. i have great parents. >> where did you go? >> the fashion institute of technology in new york city. expensive. one of the top fashion schools in the world. >> it's a great school. >> i have good parents who let me live with them. >> you have to pay $2100 a month. how do you manage that? >> i work three jobs. a full time job just doing billing work and then i waitress on the side and i also assistant coach swimming. >> and you live at home. >> yep. >> that's the big decision. wow. what's that say about what's going on? i went to holy cross. it was a great college. it cost me $2,000 a year. my parents paid half and it was a breeze to pay it off. >> i have two children that went to kings. they did get a lot of
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scholarships. one started off at 90,000 a year and one at 50. we have been very lucky. it depends on what course you take. computers and athletic training. >> how did you vote for trump. >> i was a lifelong democrat and liked that he was a businessman. i wanted job and economic growth. we have to take care of our own country before we take care of others. >> how is it going? >> it's going good. there are believes going up in the industrial park here. there is help wanted signs everywhere you look. >> does anyone think it's getting a little better show of hands it's getting a little better. show of hands it's not. the unemployment rate,
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nationally it's incredibly low. a lot of the jobs don't pay much. what did you think. did anybody benefit from the tax cut? how many benefitted from the tax cut? that's not much. who did. you did? why did you like the tax cut? >> i had seen the results of the tax cut in the employer where i work. they invested more in the building. we got the most substantial raise that we ever got. >> you are a teamster? >> yes. >> james hoffa delivered for you. >> no, i was a chief negotiator myself. >> how can you be a union guy and a republican? i'm curious. >> the republican party is more aligned with my personal moral values being pro life and wanting to have personal freedoms for many things.
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legal immigration because i see the impact when the labor market is inundated with workers working under the table. it lowers the wages for the union workers and for the other people. there is a ready underground labor market in many building trades. i had many fellow union members come up to me and say it's hurting us very bad. >> how do you like this economy with the uber and lyft? >> around here there is not a lot of taxi travel, but i know that people use them a lot when they are at the bars or something like that. >> it's huge with kids. >> it's going hurt taxi drivers. >> what are about the guys who own the medallion. >> you spoke about flereedom, s. i served in the united states army for 30 years. [ applause ] it was all about freedom.
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i came home and realized my community was not free. we had more people in my community. i lived in monroe county in the poconos. we had more people going out of monroe into new york for jobs because of cost of living here not because of cost of living, but because of the minimum wage. not sustainable here or in pennsylvania. 7.25 an hour is not sustainable. people work hard to build their homes and they cannot enjoy it because they have to go outside of monroe county or outside of my area. >> why do they live in monroe county and not new york city. >> because they can't afford it. >> the high wages they are paying in new york city contribute to the lifestyle and cost of living in the cities. that's why people move out of the cities. >> we talk about economic
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development. >> there is jobs in my area, but it's minimum wage jobs. we are becoming the water park city. >> people need to get away from minimum wage jobs. they need to find other skills. they need to take -- >> i want to get this, sir. >> we can't guarantee people their wages. you have to earn it. >> what did you say about the minimum wage? >> the last time they raised the minimum wage was 20 years ago. 42%. >> i won't argue that. that's why i took a job in a factory as a union member. >> don't be a hypocrite! come on! >> you need to earn more money by earning more skills. >> let this gentleman speak, please. >> first and foremost, i'm not red or blue, i'm red, white, and
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blue. if that's what i boils down to, i'm a disabled combat victory and a union member and union steward. and i will tell you the truth. i did not vote in the last election because neither party had the best interest for me, the american citizen. we still want to do all this coal and we want to talk about immigration. let's talk about the roads and the schools and our economy and the va. the va that is supposed to take care of us. our unions -- >> there was a $2 trillion infrastructure bill talked about two weeks ago. it was real. pelosi wants to get trump out there, basically. she sat down with him and they said how about 2 trillion dollars. the republicans met and decided to do nothing. squat. tom perez, will you stand up.
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what are the democrats going to do if they get back in there? most people believe in work and security and i drove here last night from new york. there is a few bumps. it's real. your thoughts? >> listen, chris. i have been listening and i want to thank all of you for your honesty. i came here and unfortunately the rnc chair didn't even though she was invited because it's important to listen and learn. what we need and what i'm hearing right now, this is a conversation about economic security and the dignity of work. for democrats, the dignity of work means you only work one job, not three jobs! the dignity of work, chris, it means that you have health care. in the last week, if you want to know, the democrats have your back. in the last week, including today, there have been a total of eight bills that have been
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passed or will be passed in the united states house of representatives to make sure that if you have a preexisting condition, you can keep your health care and lower -- [ applause ] >> please come back for more about equal time. this is about the people here and the big shots. thank you so much and thank you and good luck with this incredible loan of yours. president trump. he is going to build a high wall? more deciders after this. igh wall more decids erafter this when you rent from national... it's kind of like playing your own version of best ball. because here, you can choose any car in the aisle, even if it's a better car class than the one you reserved. so no matter what, you're guaranteed to have a perfect drive. [laughter]
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when mexico sends its people, they are not sending their best. >> we will build a great wall and mexico will pay for the wall. >> human rights abuse at the border. >> we are stronger because of imgrant roots. >> declaring a national emergency because we are declaring it for virtual invasion purposes. >> we're should decriminalize them. >> protect dreamers. >> immigration reform. >> if you want everybody to pour into our country, i have a great suggestion for you. vote democrat.
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>> determining the results of the 2020 presidential election. this was a stronghold for years, but in 2016 they went back. 58% for trump. president trump and his democratic challengers are talking about immigration. let's hear from donna, chris, and charlie. charlie, where are you on the wall? >> build it. big and fast. >> how high do you want it? >> as high as necessary. >> the full-length of the border? >> as long as -- >> gulf of mexico to the pacific? >> as long as it's feasible without electronics or barbed wire or anything like that. >> how many people -- >> however it's feasible. >> let me go on this with equal time. lou, talk about your position on immigration, illegal immigration and what you would do to slow it down. nobody thinks you can stop it.
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what do you think the democrats are doing and we will get other views. >> there is only one way to solve the problem of illegal immigration and that's to secure the border first. if you don't stop the flow of people coming in illegally, you are not going to solve the problem. if you start talking about pathway to citizenship and what you do with the millions of people who are here illegally, you invited more people from around the world to come here before they secure the border. i just don't understand democrats not wanting to agree that we must secure the border first before we can have that. >> how are you going to get the democrats to go along with that? they are not going to go along with secure the border only. they have to represent the people that vote for them. >> they represent the people of the united states of america. their national security, the women who are being molested, the drug dealers that are coming -- that's real.
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they can moan all they want. unless it was your daughter, you can moan all you want. if it's your daughter, you have a different feeling. >> let's go on your thinking. >> i think we should have a wall. my parents came legally. my grandmother came and i still have their passports fromi ital. >> we should focus our attention on the wage disparities and infrastructure and not building walls. [ applause ] >> it seems to me that one reason why politics can drive you crazy is one party voting on one issue and they don't get to discuss the one issue. the democrats are very good and we will talk about health care.
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they talk about all the options, public options and medicare for all. obamacare. they try to figure it out. i don't hear the democrats have a position on illegal immigration. they are very compassionate about people coming in and very much against family separation. i never hear them say this is how we would stop or slow down illegal immigration. does anyone have confidence that the democrats will stop or slow down illegal immigration? somebody does? who does? you are thinking about the challenge. others may not. >> the democrats have done this and i'm an immigration attorney. i practice immigration defense for 13 years. what i have seen with the prior administration was they focused
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on a core group of immigrants. those would be the ones that were the problems. they were enforcement priorities. if you were a recent border crosser, you were an enforcement priority. what they did to accomplish the end result under the obama administration, more immigrants were deported under obama than any president in the history of the united states. they did this not because they were soft on immigration, but because they were targeted on it. they focused on getting, if you will, the bad hombres out. >> you have confidence that the democratic party and elected officials will slow or stop illegal immigration. i'm asking that question. do you have confidence in their ability to stop or slow illegal immigration. >> it's going take a bipartisan effort. they can't do it by themselves.
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the issue with it is it takes both sides. it's not an enforcement only solution. you need both sides. >> do you believe we should stop illegal immigration? >> we are a country of laws and we have to do something. >> yes, miss? your thoughts. i keep reading. it's an issue up here. it's a big issue in this part of the state. illegal immigration. your thoughts. >> well, i feel with the wall that it's -- if people want to come to america, if you have a goal and you feel very important about it, you are going to find a way to get into the country. i don't think a wall is going to stop you. >> okay. i agree with you. >> let me ask you about this. others talked about how the democrats and the republicans got together. tip o'neill was part of it. they have an effective bill in
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'86. no more illegal hiring, but they will be allowed to become citizens. they only enforced the one part. they never enforced the part about illegal hiring. do people think you should be fined for hiring people illegally? that's the answer. people are going to get here if there is a job here. that's what i think. thank you. up next, the key issue on democrats and republicans. ending america's opioid epidemic. how is it affecting voters here? we will be back with the deciders. we will be back with the deciders
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and there's no turning back. ♪ ♪ nothing runs like a deere™. run with us. visit your john deere dealer today, to test drive a z500 or z700 series ztrak™ mower. this is a commercial and i know you're thinking. i don't want to hear about insurance. 'cause let's be honest... nobody likes dealing with insurance. right? see, esurance knows it's expensive. i feel like i'm giving my money away. so they're making it affordable. thank you, dennis quaid. you're welcome, guy in kitchen. i named my character walter. that's great. i'd tell you more but i only have thirty seconds so here's a dramatic shot of their tagline so you'll remember it. when insurance is affordable, it's surprisingly painless. >> he was a good kid. he just happened to get involved with some issues with drugs as he got older. he was involved in an accident
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after he graduated from high school. he became involved with opioid medicine. pain killers. that led to him not being able to get them and eventually he was using heroin and killed by fentanyl. you can't assume these people are just people that are homeless and people that come from a certain socioeconomic back ground. if you can't believe or you don't believe it can happen to you, you better think twice. it's tearing families apart and breaking down the neighborhoods and crime and violence. >> he wantswants -- lost his so
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opioid abuse. how many people in this room know someone who has been affected by opiate? this is the untalked about story. you are a nurse. tell us about your experience with opioid addiction. >> i'm a nurse and i'm still a nurse. i was an er nurse for 35 years and of course we call this the opiate crisis now. those of us who work in hospitals and emergency rooms know it has been around forever and ever. okay? it certainly has increased in the numbers that we see overdotesing. the drugs are stronger and not as pure and mixed with other things. >> how does a young person get caught up into it? does it start with a prescription? >> it can be either on the street, you know, with their peers or getting messed up with the wrong type of people.
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trying the drugs. these drugs are very addictive and before you know it, you're hooked. >> i hear heroin is cheap. >> i haven't bought any lately, but i hear it's cheap compared to other street drugs like the pills and things they buy. that's the thing. they don't know what they are getting. it can be mixed with other things. >> that's what i hear. that's what kills them. >> with the fentanyl. >> less go to dotty. what do you know? stand up, please. >> i know the drug crisis is an important issue. but the thing i'm concerned about is health care. many, many people have no coverage and the affordable care act is being dismantled every
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day. we need either that to improve, that part or we need a national health care program. >> hold off there. how many people here think the short-term solution that the democrats get back in power is to fix obamacare? how many people would like to see in addition that, a public option? how many people would like to go all the way, bernie sanders and a couple of others are saying a national health care plan called medicare for all? how many would like to see that? someone else? go ahead. >> hi, chris. >> what do you think? >> i'll get back to the opioid crisis. i work in a recovery field. i have been in the field for over 20 years. i'm in recovery myself for 34 years.
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>> what were you in? >> i abused everything there is to use. i used everything there is to use and i have been in recovery for 34 years. >> how did you get out? >> i went to -- i went to a rehab and i went to a long-term rehab and i belong to alcoholics anonymous and i have been doing it for 34 years. >> you were in a program. >> i am. i think the answer right now is that you have to go after big pharma. big pharma is ruining -- they overprescribing? >> absolutely. we are seeing kids, kids don't start off with marijuana and beer anymore. they start with opiate. kids are dying. we had in the county, over 100 deaths last year. 105 deaths, all opiate-related. fentanyl is coming in from china. you can't just build a wall. it's coming from china.
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we have to stop what's coming in to this country. >> you know one thing and many people know it. a kid comes in or person comes in with a broken leg and they give them a narcotic. the person likes it. they don't want to reduce the dosage. they find a way to keep it. >> then you end up in the streets and buying from the streets. they are prescribing oxycontin which was designed for people terminally ill with cancer. now they give it to you for a broken arm or a sore back. >> oxycontin is really addictive. >> absolutely. >> thank you for your recovery and good luck with it. we'll be right back. up next, hot button issues and we will go around the room with the hottest issues we haven't talked about. don't go anywhere. talked about don't go anywhere. hi, do you ha? we do! the discover it® miles card. earn unlimited 1.5 miles on every purchase,
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thank you to the voters in this key swing state and how they are going to vote right now in their heads. everybody is voting all the time. we are thinking about it all the time. let me go to carly. 20 years old. let's talk about -- i thought roe v. wade was settled. it has been around since '73
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saying abortion is legal up until a certain viability age. the last few months is more difficult to have an abortion unless you have a health issue with the mother. i thought we agreed to that as a compromise, but apparently not. where are we at? how many people would like to leave the law the way it is as interpreted by the constitution? leave it the way it is? how many would like to do what they are doing in alabama to make it almost impossible to have an abortion. how many would like to liberalize it? you are pro life. >> i'm a pro life catholic woman. i don't want to let religion be my basis for my argument. i would like to base it on facts. 18 days, a baby has a heartbeat. at 10 weeks, a baby can feel pain. i believe that right now this is the civil rights issue of our time.
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what you won't hear in the mainstream media is if roe v. wade is overturned, it will ban all abortions. it's up to the local and the state governments. that's basically the basis of federalism. giving all the power to the local and the state governments. >> i think that's the pro life position. anybody agree? >> no! >> one other voice over here. you have expressed yourself facially. here you go. i want to hear the other view. >> i totally disagree. in the past before roe vs. wade, women if they wanted an abortion for medical reasons or rain were put on a stand in front of a bunch of men to determine whether they were telling the truth or not. i fear that would happen again. as everyone -- it's your own body and it's your own business.
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i can't say whether i will or won't have one. if you don't believe in abortion, don't get one. people don't purposely get pregnant just to have abortions so quit acting like people love having them. >> promised -- who else? where am i going? >> thank you. hi, chris. i'm dr. joyce, a proud retired teacher who spent 38 years in the classroom. they paid me to do it. go figure. when i see the effect of trump on education, it makes me sad for the future. look who is running the department of education. a woman who knows nothing about education and kids. >> a person who is not here. you don't like the secretary of education. who is that? >> betsy devos.
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>> we're heart your voice. >> i think we are all pro education. a hot button issue to cause trouble. okay? why am i going to ann marie. i want to ask some questions. one of the candidates for president said it's a good idea that people be allowed to vote as federal prisoners. anyone think it's a good idea? when they get out, of course. i'm with that, too. let me ask you about the other issues. gun laws. should we leave them the way they are? >> no! >> make them tougher? >> yes! >> background checks? >> yes! >> charlottesville? is everybody -- anybody happy of what came out of the president's mouth? >> no! >> capital punishment, keep it or get rid of it? >> keep it. >> get rid of it.
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>> how many say get rid of it? how many say keep it? not too much opinion there. let me ask you about this one. my favorite question. do you think the politicians in both parties, especially d.c., new york maybe, look down on you? >> yes! >> how do you know that and how do you sense that? how do you get that sense? >> i have to tell you, the one thing that can bring democrats and republicans is term limits. these people hold on like they own the job. >> that's a good idea. >> they will never vote for their own term limits. >> let me tell you how i know my representative didn't respect me. when i called his office in washington, d.c., his staff hung up on me because i was pro affordable care act. your staff, mr. barletta. >> he doesn't have a staff now. >> no, and actually he did. and actually, he lost the last
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election. i don't know why he has an opinion here. >> i have to get this. response? >> of course i don't know the situation, i highly doubt anybody on my staff would hang up on someone. >> including barletta and tom perez. i loved being here in pennsylvania! that's all for a special live "hardball" in the county. thanks everybody here. what a night. chris hayes coming up. >> tonight on all in. >> general flynn is a wonderful man. >> new revelations suggesting someone in congress may have tried to keep michael flynn from cooperating with robert mueller. >> mike flynn is a fine person. >> as leadership stalls, the latest push to start the impeachment of donald trump. >> he is defying you. >> he's laughing at you. >> and he's getting away