GOP, White House Plot 'Urgent Blitz' For Repeal Votes | The Last Word

>>> WE ARE LIVE HERE ON FRIDAY NIGHT, AND SOMETIMES THE
BREAKING NEWS COMES IN ON FRIDAY.
AS I CAN TELL YOU I'M HOLDING A "WASHINGTON POST" REPORT OUT
TONIGHT THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING FOR THE FIRST TIME ON AIR ON
SEASON THAT THE WHITE HOUSE AND MITCH McCONNELL ARE PLANNING A
FINAL URGENT BLITZ TO PRESSURE RELUCTANT REPUBLICAN SENATORS
BACK INTO PASSING THEIR REPEAL AND REPLACE BILL.
THE NEW IDEA, THE NEW STRATEGY ACCORDING TO THE POST TONIGHT IS
A DEADLINE BEFORE THE AUGUST RECESS.
AND KEY PLAYERS IN THE STRATEGY, ACCORDING TO THIS NEW REPORT IN
THE POST, ARE MIKE PENCE AND TED CRUZ.
MITCH McCONNELL ALLEGEDLY RELYING ON THEM TO SHAKE UP AND
TRY TO GET A CONSENSUS AMONG REPUBLICANS.
THE IDEA IS THAT CRUZ CAN BE A CONSERVATIVE FIREBRAND AND BRING
IT ALL HOME. CONGRESS RETURNS ON MONDAY.
THAT MEANS, ACCORDING TO THIS REPORT, THERE WOULD BE JUST 14
DAYS TO PASS TRUMPCARE BEFORE THIS NEW SELF-IMPOSED DEADLINE
BEFORE THE AUGUST RECESS. I SHOULD NOTE THE OBVIOUS THAT
YOU MAY KNOW EVEN IF YOU ARE WATCHING POLITICS HERE ON A
FRIDAY NIGHT, AND WE WELCOME IT. NOT EVERYONE ELSE IS AS FOCUSED
ON THIS IN AUGUST. I'M GOING TO TALK TO MY PANEL IN
A SECOND ABOUT WHY THAT MIGHT BE PART OF THE STRATEGY.
MEANWHILE, SENATORS OPENLY QUESTIONING WHAT'S IN THE SENATE
BILL. SENATOR JERRY MORAN AT A
LISTENING TOUR IN KANSAS. >> WE DON'T WANT TO JUST GO
THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF SOME KIND OF LEGISLATION THAT WE SAY IS
GOING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM WHEN I'M NOT AND OTHERS ARE NOT YET
CONVINCED THAT WHAT PATH WE'RE ON IS GOING TO ACTUALLY MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN THE COST TO YOU, YOUR FAMILY, AND YOUR
BUSINESSES. >> NOW, WHY WOULD A REPUBLICAN
FROM THAT DEEP RED STATE BE POTENTIALLY WOBBLING ON THE
BILL? HERE'S SOME OF WHAT SENATOR
MORAN IS HEARING. >> AMERICANS DON'T WORK HARD ALL
THEIR LIVES TO HAVE AN AMERICAN DREAM AND GET SOMEWHERE JUST TO
SAY, OH, OKAY. YEAH, YOU CAN HAVE ALL MY
TAXPAYER MONEY, AND I'M GOING TO GO OVER HERE AND CURL UP AND DIE
BECAUSE YOU THINK I DON'T DESERVE HEALTH CARE.
>> JOINING ME NOW, A WASHINGTON COLUMNIST FOR "THE BOSTON
GLOBE," AND ALSO JOAN WALSH, NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
FOR THE NATION. JOAN, ANDY CARD USED TO SAY, YOU
DON'T ROLL OUT A BIG PRODUCT IN AUGUST, OR AT LEAST NOT A
PRODUCT YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT. >> NOT SOMETHING YOU REALLY WANT
TO SELL. YOU WANT TO WAIT UNTIL THE FALL
WHEN YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING.
I REMEMBER THAT TOO. THIS IS CRAZY.
ALSO THE IDEA OF TED CRUZ AS PITCHMAN.
I MEAN I KNOW HE'S DOING SOME WEIRD IDEOLOGICAL SHAPE-SHIFTING
BY SUGGESTING THAT MAYBE THEY CUT -- NOT CUT BUT ACTUALLY
LEAVE THE TAXES, SOME OF THE TAXES IN PLACE.
HE'S TRYING TO ACT LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE FIREFIGHTER ON THE
SCENE, BUT HE'S WIDELY DESPISED BY HIS COLLEAGUES.
I MEAN AL FRANKEN, YOU KNOW, JOKED THAT --
>> I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SAY.
>> I KNOW. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HATE HIM MORE
THAN I DO, AND I HATE HIM. SO THIS IS A VERY, VERY WEIRD
SITUATION. ALSO PEOPLE LIKE JERRY MORAN ARE
HOME AND HEARING ABOUT WHY PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF WHAT
THEY'RE TRYING TO DO. >> RIGHT.
>> SO I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
THEY SHOULD HAVE TALKED TO ANDY CARD.
>> WELL, IT HAS A PATINA OF PANIC, BUT IT MAY BE A
REFLECTION THAT THEY THINK IN THE LIGHT OF DAY, IN THE FALL,
YOU KNOW, OPEN SEASON, THE BILL HAS NO SHOT.
SO MAYBE AUGUST IS THE ONLY SHOT.
NOW, INDIRA, I'M GOING TO PUT IT TO YOU STRAIGHT HERE.
I AIN'T THAT OLD, BUT I'M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHEN IF YOU
GOT A BAD CBO SCORE ON A PIECE OF NATIONAL POLICY LEGISLATION,
THE RESPONSE WAS TO REFORM THE UNDERLYING LEGISLATION TO GET A
BETTER CBO SCORE. I MEAN PEOPLE IN BOTH PARTIES
SAID, OKAY, WE CARE ABOUT THE NUMBERS.
IF THE THING IS TOO EXPENSIVE OR HAS TOO MANY NEGATIVE
CONSEQUENCES, WE'LL FIX IT AND GO BACK TO THE CBO.
INSTEAD LET ME READ, QUOTE, THE GOAL WILL NOW BE TO COUNTER THE
NON-PARTISAN CBO ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION WHICH SHOWS 22
MILLION FEWER PEOPLE WOULD HAVE INSURANCE COVERAGE, AND TO
COUNTER IT TO SHOW FROM CONSERVATIVE GROUPS AND OTHER
REPUBLICANS WHO SAY THERE ARE MORE BENEFITS AND LESS
DISRUPTIONS SHOULD THE BILL PASS.
TRANSLATION, THEY DON'T WANT TO FIX ANYTHING THAT THE CBO FOUND.
THEY WANT TO POINT TO ALTERNATIVE SOURCES THAT MAKE
THE BILL LOOK OSTENSIBLY BETTER. >> WELL, ALTERNATIVE SOURCES
SOUNDS AN AWFUL LOT LIKE ALTERNATIVE FACTS, ARI.
THE PROBLEM HERE IS THAT AS YOU SAY, IN THE PAST THE IDEA WAS TO
FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE. IF THE FACTS WERE THAT THE CBO
SAID THIS DOESN'T WORK, THEN YOU TRIED TO FIND A WAY TO FIX IT
AND MAKE IT WORK. THIS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND
ALSO THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE SENATE DON'T SEEM TO WANT
TO TRY TO FIX IT.. THEY WANT TO COUNTER IT AND SAY,
NO, THAT'S FAKE NEWS. THAT'S NOT TRUE.
LET'S JUST COUNTER IT WITH OUR OWN INFORMATION.
BUT WHAT YOU SAID, I THOUGHT, WAS REALLY INTERESTING, THAT
THERE WAS A TINGE OF PANIC OR A PATINA OF PANIC IN THE AIR, AND
THEY HAVE EVER GOOD REASON TO BE PANICKED, AND WHY?
AN ANALYSIS THAT CAME OUT OF M.I.T., AND THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO
UNDERSTAND MATH UNLIKE MOST PEOPLE IN AMERICA, AND I WOULD
SAY THAT INCLUDES MOST OF US. THEY ANALYZED OF ALL THE POLLS
OF LOOKING AT ATTENTION TO, YOU KNOW, LEGISLATION OVER THE LAST
30 YEARS. THIS IS THE LEAST POPULAR PIECE
OF LEGISLATION IN 30 YEARS. >> WOW.
>> YOU KNOW, LAST MONTH IT WAS POLLING AT 12%.
>> I MEAN WOW BECAUSE IT'S NOT LIKE EVERY OTHER PIECE OF

GOP, White House Plot 'Urgent Blitz' For Repeal Votes | The Last Word | MSNBC

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