FIRST BITES: MITT ROMNEY ON “MEET THE PRESS”
September 8, 2012 -- NBC’s “Meet the Press” has released two excerpts of David Gregory’s exclusive interview with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, available for immediate use. Below are video links, transcripts, and still photos.
For this wide-ranging, in-depth interview, Gregory spoke with Gov. Romney at length over the course of two days. On Friday evening, Ann Romney joined them on the campaign bus as they rode to a rally in Nashua, NH. On Saturday morning, Gregory and Gov. Romney sat down for a longer one-on-one interview at Romney’s campaign headquarters in Boston, MA.
The extended interview will air Sunday on “Meet the Press;” all content will be available online at WWW.MEETTHEPRESSNBC.COM.
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MANDATORY CREDIT: NBC News “Meet the Press”
Romney on Former President Bill Clinton’s DNC Address
Friday Interview on Campaign Bus
STILL PHOTO: HTTP://ON.FB.ME/P3H9HB
EMBEDDABLE VIDEO: HTTP://NBCNEWS.TO/OWYXZ4
DAVID GREGORY: What about Bill Clinton? He had quite an impact. Do you think he could get elected today for president?
MITT ROMNEY: You know, if the constitution weren't in his way, perhaps. But I don't know the answer to that. But he did stand out in contrast with the other speakers. I think he really did elevate the Democrat convention in a lot of ways. And frankly, the contrast may not have been as-- as attractive as Barack Obama might have preferred if he were choosing who'd go before him and who'd go after.
Romney on Defense Spending and Sequestration
Saturday Interview at Campaign HQ
STILL PHOTO: HTTP://ON.FB.ME/PCEGIH
EMBEDDABLE VIDEO: HTTP://NBCNEWS.TO/PSGBBB
MITT ROMNEY: Well, I want to maintain defense spending at the current level of the GDP. I don't want to keep bringing it down as the president's doing. This sequestration idea of the White House, which is cutting our defense, I think is an extraordinary miscalculation in the wrong direction.
DAVID GREGORY: Republican leaders agreed to that deal to the extend the debt ceiling.
MITT ROMNEY: And that's a big mistake. I thought it was a mistake on the part of the White House to propose it. I think it was a mistake for Republicans to go along with it. The president was responsible for coming out with specific changes they'd make to the defense budget. It was supposed to have come out this last week. He has violated the law that he in fact signed. The American people need to understand how it is that our defense is going to be so badly cut.
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NBC News
e: ERIKA.MASONHALL@NBCUNI.COM
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David Gregory needs to find a new job, he has done a very poor job. If he donated to Romney/Ryan he should be fined. Regardless, MTP has to have lost ratings lately. My parents no longer watch it and neither will I. Why MSNBC hasn't fired Gregory is beyond me-unless they are hoping to become the next FOX News. Their website does seem Republican biased though.
On to Romney-he has no principles as he has shown in his deceitfulness to the American people. The worst is his refusal to be transparent with his tax returns. He will stop at nothing to make money fro himself and the rich and yet cut important programs. We spend enough on the military already. We spent more under Bush and we got 9/11. Lets care for the poor, the elderly, the disabled and for all americans as a whole before we throw money into the the military. Many people are disenchanted with the republican way of going to war and this new "build the military" may hurt Romney more than help.
I could not agree with you more. He had no balls at all. Nora did a far better job calling out lying Ryen on Face the Nation.
David Gregory is a disgrace to Journalism. Is he alone in a profession that had lost its compass? Of course not. But he leads in the fall of his profession.
Peggy Noonan is a drama queen who has become irrelevant. Unfortunately, she will be replaced, undoubtedly, by someone in the same vein of lies and lack of integrity, spreading falsehoods and hiding the truth. A few of her dramatic assertions will come back to haunt her in November.
Bill Bennett declared today " We won the war in Irak". When he makes such a statement while representing the Republican party and supporting Mitt Romney, one can just imagine where we would be going if Romney were to be elected!
This interview was nothing more than 37 minutes of free air time for Mitt Romney. There was nothing of substance in this interview. I cannot believe that David Gregory is the best person they have for this job. I am hardpressed to remember one hardhitting question , but the few times he might have touched the surface of something important, he allowed Romney to answer, and never once had a rebuttal, or pushed him for more details. Meet The Press once had a stellar reputation, for asking the hard questions and calling out the candidates when they were being untruthful or sidestepping the issues. I saw none of that today with the Mitt Romney interview. This interview was an embarrassment
Did Gov. Romney make the point that one shouldn't expect his economic policies to be totally effective within his first term, that they would be too much of a shock to the country and that he would need a second term for the country to realize the growth and benefits? If so, then why should it be any different for President Obama's economic policies? I thought that is a comment and idea that should have been seized upon in the interview.
You didn't exactly listen to what he said. He said that his goal was to get the country out of debt in 8-10 years. He didn't say there would be no growth. We are in such a deep hole, no one can get us out in 4 years. As a matter of fact, it will take growth over the next 8-10 years to get us out of debt.
Every cent of the federal debt and deficit is caused by military spending.
David Gregory is a shill for the GOP. Get rid of this guy!
Was anybody listening to Romney? He stated that he will not increase taxes on anyone and that the middle class will also not have to pay tax on interest, dividends or capital gains. I don't know any middle class citizens, who have enough interest, dividends or capital gains to owe these taxes to begin with. More and more we see how out of touch Romney is with middle America and reality in general.
I don't know why I expected Gregory to hold Mitts mitts to the fire.Tim " the bulldog" Russert is gone and the world may never see another like him. The only thing missing was I'm Mitt Romney and I approve this message......David , seriously ..... seek new employment...... you blew it
I would like to have heard David Gregory follow up on Mitt Romney's answer to his question about balancing the budget in his first term. Romney said he would not balance it in his first term, but would do so by the end of his second. Gregory's follow-up should have been, "why do you claim that Obama's presidency has been a failure because he hasn't turned the economy around in his first term, if you, yourself, know that you cannot balance the budget in one term"?
Why is no one pointing to Romney's statement in the interview of making sure that the middle class will not pay taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains?!?
There it is, straight from the "horse's mouth", if I may. So, according to the interview, not only will he cut tax rates, but will also eliminate taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains. Interesting that this is also how Romney makes the lion's share of his income. All this will do is shift payroll of CEO's to these methods of compensation. Am I expected to believe the Romney will limit these tax policies to the lower end of the income levels?
Why this statement from the interview was not pointed out in the roundtable discussion, escapes me.
Gregory should be ashamed to even call himself a journalist. He should resign from MTP in embarrassment over the softball questions. That was a total free add for Romney, not an interview in the spirit of MTP. Shame Shame Shame
I could not agree with you more. He was imply put a sissy who could not stand up to a liar.
Romney on Defense Spending and Sequestration
I recall Romney blaming the White House for military cuts stemming from sequestration, which is a bald-faced lie. From above:
I am a major fan of Meet the Press, have been for years. I
was very disappointed in today's show. It seemed like you were playing lob ball
with him. The follow-up questions were so soft, he just gets to say whatever he
wants even if it has nothing to do with the truth. SOMEONE has to hold the
politicians accountable and I thought I could count on you. I am not half as intelligent
or half as informed as you are and I had many tougher questions that he needs
to answer. Why do we give our politicians a FREE ride, they need to be held
accountable. Why has no one asked him why he is allowing voter suppression in
so many states? That is so un-American and not in the Spirit of the Constitution.
David please ask the TOUGH questions you are the ONLY voice we have. Respectfully
Tim Flavin
Geez David, what a suck-up "interview". Not one tough question, or follow up to Romney's evasiveness or outright lies. Looks like you have no problem with groveling in order to keep open your "access" to this lying scum. Fox News couldn't have done a better job at endorsing the GOP presidential candidate.
How right you are. He seems to have been casterated, nuetered and spayed. I thought Nora had balls to call out lying Ryan on Face the Nation. I can only imagine what Racel would have done to this punk.
Great article/review of Sunday Morning shows on the HuffingtonPost website by Jason Linkins. The review of David Gregory's piss poor interview was spot on.
Check it out.
I would like to see it all, before I say I oppose what he said! Ha!
I did not watch, but there seems to be some discontent with the questions brought up by Mr. Gregory. Were they really pre-approved?
--------------- This morning on NBC, Mitt Romney said that “there are a number of things that I like” about Obamacare and suggested he would retain: 1. The guarantee that insurance companies couldn’t discriminate against people with pre-exisiting conditions, and 2. The provision that allows young adults to stay on their parents plan.
Just hours later, his campaign quietly told a conservative website that he actually opposes those provisions of Obamacare:
By the way, Dick. You should go to work for Fox. That's where the one-time real journalist Brit Hume went. You and Brit are two peas in a pod. You softballed that whole interview. You might as well have been in front of him on your knees. You were his ......... well, I'm not going that far. But we know what you've become.
When Romney said he would eliminate taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains, (for the middle class, at 16:23) did it not occur to you that it would be unconstitutional to exclude the wealthy from benefiting from this as well. The wealthy would take almost all of their income as capital gains (as Romney now does) and effectively pay no tax at all. He let slip his real agenda and you let it slide.
Maybe David needs to move over to the Today show, where he can interview the family who's kid got sucked into a hay baler or something. That seems more his style.
I could not agree with you more. He was simply put a wimp.
David Gregory had a reasonable but not agressive list of questions to ask but he failed to follow up and challange the evasive answers Romney gave. One of the worst jobs i have seen done on "Meet the Press" or some similar program. May be why Romney agreed to appear knowing in advance that he will get away with his BS. I am sorry but i have no respect for this David who does not deserve to be on Meet the Press or any similar program. In Contrast on CBS Nora did a great job challanging Ryen on Face the Nation. She was tough and had balls where as David proved to be a sissy who simply could not stand up to a liar.
David you need to apologize for the pathetic job you did and quit or be fired. I for one wont be listening any more of your crap. Simply put you have no balls and you suck.