Yesterday, whatever show Andrew Mitchell hosts on MSNBC had Congressman Sean Duffy as a guest to talk about the government shutdown and Obama care. Duffy smacked down Mitchell, repeatedly refusing her spin (this woman MUST be on the Obama payroll) and setting her straight. Mitchell wasn’t having any of it, but it is a masterful exchange to behold. Below is the transcript and you can watch the whole video here.
TRANSCRIPT:
REP. DUFFY: Andrea, that’s ridiculous. I think he said you’ve been through 18 shutdowns. I don’t know if you’ve seen a President that has come and said I’m not going to negotiate. This is historic, a President says I’m not going to sit at the table. As a guy that’s the 10th of 11 kids, families work through problems by talking and communicating, so does the government. You’re aware all we’ve asked for is the President and administration join us in Obamacare, American people in Congress and that individuals and families be treated just like big business. That’s what they are holding out for.
MITCHELL: Congressman, you’re asking him — that’s a nonnegotiable demand. Why not sit down and negotiate over entitlement reform, which is something you all have been demanding and he has offered in his initial budget. You’re putting on the table a nonnegotiable demand.
REP DUFFY: Listen, is it nonnegotiable that he’s not going to enter Obamacare? I get my gold plated health care plan but I want members of Congress and rest of America to be in Obamacare, that’s nonnegotiable? Come on. That’s not reasonable. One issue we have, the media won’t ask the question about why are you treating families different than big business. You need Jon Stewart on Comedy Central to ask Secretary Sebelius, hey, why won’t you treat these two equally and she won’t answer it. That’s how pathetic news reporting has come when they won’t ask tough questions to the administration.
MITCHELL: We’ve asked questions of both sides. That’s not fair.
DUFFY: Do you ask that question, Andrea.
MITCHELL: We have asked the question. The basic point is that —
DUFFY: Why do you want your own … and won’t join us in Obama care. That question I haven’t seen anybody ask on MSNBC. They don’t have a good answer for it. With regard to actually —
MITCHELL: The response Kathleen Sebelius gave to Jon Stewart, if we got what we wanted, a single payer plan, this wouldn’t be the problem.
DUFFY: You say I think this is what they would say but you don’t know because you haven’t asked. That’s one of the problems we have here. I think in regard to negotiating issues, Andrea, I think we can sit at the table and say if these are off the table, what is on the table, Mr. President, as we move towards the debt limit negotiation. He would say, lets talk. Maybe it’s going to be entitlement reform, maybe it’s tax reform. We’ll have all those conversations. When he says you have to give me what I want, I’m not going to talk to you, I think America looks at that and says I understand a divided government, people hard on both sides, I expect them to talk to each other and work through their differences and make it work. That’s not happening, Andrea.
MITCHELL: With all due respect this is about military death benefits to kids, 19-year-old kids who died in Afghanistan and who are not coming home, this is about what their families are entitled to by law and what they are not getting. It’s not about what you want in Obamacare and not about what the President wants on the debt ceiling.
DUFFY: Don’t spin that on me. I just told you at the top of the segment we’re going to pass a mini CR to address those benefits. We’re going to look out for military especially those families who made the ultimate sacrifice. We’re going to do that and we’re going to do it this week. You are asking me about the larger issue of why can’t people resolve this government shutdown. We have been incredibly reasonable making a small ask.
MITCHELL: You consider it a small ask he gets rid of the central part of his health care plan that was upheld by the vote, a presidential election and the United States Supreme Court.
DUFFY: Andrea, hold on. That’s your spin.
MITCHELL: That’s not spin.
DUFFY: Listen, he gave a one-year exemption for businesses in regard to taxes and penalties on Obamacare. Everyone still can go into the exchange if they want but they aren’t penalized in big business if they don’t go in. We said for individual, families, if they want to go to Obamacare they can, for one year don’t tax or penalize them just like big businesses. That’s fair under the law. That’s all we’re asking for. He won the debate. The exchanges are up and kind of running. There’s subsidies out there. This is a small ask equity and equality under the law for individuals and families just like big business. Why won’t he join us in Obamacare. Why wasn’t Michelle Obama on October 1st at the computer with her family signing up for Obama care or Jay Carney? They have their own gold plated health care plan —
MITCHELL: So do you.
DUFFY: I’m in Obama care, all members of Congress are and my family. The President should join us in Obamacare and the rest of the family. Is that fair? Why should members of Congress be under Obamacare and not the President, explain that one? Is that fair? Can you defend why the President should[n’t] be in Obamacare like Congress and members of staff.
MITCHELL: I can’t defend why Congress and the White House cannot figure out a way to reopen the government so that our kids and their families can get the benefits.
DUFFY: I told you we’re going to do that this week. I want viewers to know this has been a reasonable approach by our part everyone equal under the law, President, Congress, Obamacare. If it’s good for America, it’s good enough for the people who passed the law and individuals for one week — one year being treated like big business who came to the Hill with the lobbyist and got an exemption to the taxes, requirements of Obamacare, give that same treatment to the families in America. Again, this has nothing to do with the exchanges being open or subsidies in the exchanges. We’re not having any impact on those. They get to stand up and run. We’re just saying treat individuals and families like big business and have Obama go into Obamacare. That’s it. No one asked that question but Jon Stewart. I think the media should start doing its job.