WEBVTT

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AND HOW IT WORKED, BUT HONESTLY,

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YOU DON’T FEEDNEED TO BE AN

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ECONOMIST TO SEE, YOU NEED TO BE

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AN AMERICAN WHO LIVED THROUGH

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THE PAINFULLY SLOW RECOVERY.

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WHAT IS CLEAR IN RETROSPECT IS

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WHILE THE STIMULUS DID SOME GOOD

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GOODGOOD

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IT VERY OBVIOUSLY NEEDED TO BE

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BIGGER.

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AND WE KNOW BECAUSE WE LIVED

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THROUGH THAT TIME THAT IT COULD

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HAVE BEEN BIGGER.

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IT COULD HAVE BEEN BIGGER.

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THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.

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AND THE ECONOMY COULD HAVE

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ROARED BACK TO LIFE FASTER.

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THERE COULD HAVE BEEN LESS

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ECONOMIC PAIN FOR AMERICANS.

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AND AMERICANS, CRUCIALLY, WOULD

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HAVE FELT THE POWER OF

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GOVERNMENT TO DO SOMETHING GOOD

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IN THEIR LIVES MUCH MORE

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DIRECTLY.

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IF THE STIMULUS BILL HADN’T BEEN

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ARBITRARILY CUT DOWN TO A

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PICK-IT-OUT-OF-A-HAT NUMBER JUST

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TO GET A COUPLE REPUBLICAN VOTES

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JUST TO BE ABLE TO CLAIM

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BIPARTISANSHIP.

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AND THEN AFTER THAT EXPERIENCE

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WITH THE RECOVERY ACT, THE WHOLE

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THING HAPPENED AGAIN WITH HEALTH

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CARE.

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PRESIDENT OBAMA AND

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CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS SPENT A

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YEAR NEGOTIATING WITH

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REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS, WHICH

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THEY DIDN’T NEED TO DO, TRYING

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TO FIND SOME KIND OF BILL ON

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HEALTH CARE REFORM THAT COULD

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GET REPUBLICAN VOTES.

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THE WHITE HOUSE AGREED TO PUT

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THE WHOLE HEALTH CARE BILL ON

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HOLD WHILE A BIPARTISAN GROUP OF

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SIX SENATORS WORKED ON A

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COMPROMISE.

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HOW DID THAT GO?

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WELL, IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR

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MONTHS OF NEGOTIATION, ONE OF

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THE REPUBLICAN SENATORS WENT

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HOME TO HIS CONSTITUENTS IN

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WYOMING AND TOLD THEM HE HAD NO

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INTENTION OF EVER VOTING FOR ANY

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HEALTH CARE BILL, PROUDLY

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BRAGGING TO THEM ABOUT HOW GOOD

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HE HAD BEEN AT HOLDING UP THE

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PROCESS BY NEGOTIATING IN BAD

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FAITH.

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BECAUSE THAT GROUP OF BIPARTISAN

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SENATORS TOLD THE WHITE HOUSE TO

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WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT,

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WAIT, WAIT, WHILE THEY WORKED

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OUT ON THEIR COMPROMISE.

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HE ADMITTED TO HIS CONSTITUENTS

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HE HAD NO INTENTION OF EVER

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VOTING FOR IT NO MATTER WHAT

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THEY AGREED ON TO CHANGE THE

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BILL.

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HE TOLD HIS, "IT’S NOT WHERE I

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GET THEM TO COMPROMISE.

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IT’S WHAT I GET THEM TO LEAVE

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OUT."

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HE SAID, "IF I HADN’T BEEN

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INVOLVED THIS PROCESS FOR AS

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LONG AS I HAVE AND TO THE DEPTH

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AS I HAVE, YOU’D ALREADY HAVE

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NATIONAL HEALTH CARE."

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ANOTHER OF THE REPUBLICAN

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NEGOTIATORS THAT YEAR WAS IOWA

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SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY.

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FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS DEMOCRATS

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HAD KEPT MAKING CHANGES TO THE

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HEALTH CARE BILL.

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THAT -- THINGS THAT GRASSLEY WAS

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INSISTING ON.

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UNTIL PRESIDENT OBAMA FINALLY

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CALLED SENATOR GRASSLEY TO THE

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WHITE HOUSE AND CALLED HIS

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BLUFF.

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PRESIDENT OBAMA WRITES IN HIS

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MEMOIR ABOUT THAT MEETING.

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HE SAYS, "I LISTENED PATIENTLY

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AS GRASSLEY TICKED OFF FIVE NEW

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REASONS WHY HE STILL HAD

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PROBLEMS WITH THE LATEST VERSION

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OF THE BILL.

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I SAID, FINALLY, LET ME ASK YOU

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A QUESTION, CHUCK.

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IF WE TOOK EVERY ONE OF YOUR

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LATEST SUGGESTIONS, COULD YOU

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SUPPORT THE BILL?

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WELL.

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ARE THERE ANY CHING SANGES, ANY

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ALL THAT WOULD GET YOUR VOTE?"

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THE PRESIDENT WRITES, "THERE WAS

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AN AWKWARD SILENCE BEFORE

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GRASSLEY LOOKED UP AND MET MY

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GAZE.

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I GUESS NOT, MR. PRESIDENT."

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IN THE END, THE FINAL BILL,

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FINAL AFFORDABLE CARE ACT,

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OBAMACARE, THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA

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SIGNED INTO LAW, IT CONTAINED

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NEARLY 200 REPUBLICAN

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AMENDMENTS.

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IT WAS A MARKET-BASED SYSTEM,

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ALMOST ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON

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PRIVATE HEALTH INSURERS.

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IT’S THE KIND OF HEALTH CARE

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REFORM REPUBLICANS HAD

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CHAMPIONED FOR YEARS AND IT WAS

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DISAPPOINTING IN ALL KINDS OF

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WAYS TO DEMOCRATS AND TO HEALTH

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CARE REFORMERS WHO WANTED A MORE

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FUNDAMENTAL, MORE STABLE,

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CHANGE.

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BUT DEMOCRATS HAD COMPROMISED.

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AGAIN AND AGAIN.

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DOZENS OF TIMES.

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ACTUALLY, HUNDREDS OF TIMES IN

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THE NAME OF BIPARTISANSHIP

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AROUND THAT BILL.

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AND IN THE END, THE AFFORDABLE

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CARE ACT GOT ZERO REPUBLICAN

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VOTES IN THE UNITED STATES

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SENATE.

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GOT ONE REPUBLICAN VOTE IN THE

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HOUSE.

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AND OBAMACARE WAS A REMARKABLE

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ACCOMPLISHMENT.

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PRESIDENTS HAD TRIED AND FAILED

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FOR GENERATIONS TO REFORM OUR

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SCREWED UP HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN

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THIS COUNTRY.

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THE ACA HAS DONE AN INCREDIBLE

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AMOUNT OF GOOD.

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IT’S GOTTEN MILLIONS OF PEOPLE

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HEALTH INSURANCE WHO WEREN’T

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ABLE TO GET IT BEFORE.

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AND IT’S ONLY GROWN IN

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POPULARITY IN THE DECADE PLUS

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SINCE IT WAS PASSED.

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BUT YOU WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO

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FIND A DEMOCRAT INVOLVED IN THE

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PROCESS OF GETTING IT PASSED WHO

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DOESN’T REGRET HOW MUCH BETTER

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THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IF THEY

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HADN’T SPENT ALL THAT TIME

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APPEASING REPUBLICANS WHO WERE

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NEVER GOING TO VOTE FOR IT,

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ANYWAY, WHOSE IDEAS DIDN’T MAKE

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THE BILL ANY BETTER.

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MADE IT LESS AMBITIOUS, LESS

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SUCCESSFUL, LESS STABLE, AND

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THEY DIDN’T VOTE FOR IT, ANYWAY,

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EVEN WHEN ALL THOSE CHANGES WERE

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MADE AT THEIR INSISTENCE.

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IF YOU COULD GET ALL THAT BACK,

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YOU’D GET THE THING PASSED SO

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MUCH FASTER, IT WOULD BE SO MUCH

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BETTER.

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YOU WOULDN’T HAVE WASTED ALL

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THAT TIME, WASTED ALL THAT

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POLITICAL CAPITAL.

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YOU COULD HAVE MOVED ON AND DONE

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OTHER STUFF.

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BUT AFTER HEALTH CARE IT WAS THE

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SAME DEAL AGAIN ON IMMIGRATION.

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PRESIDENT OBAMA BROUGHT BACK AN

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IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL THAT A

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LOT OF REPUBLICANS HAD SUPPORTED

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JUST A FEW YEARS BEFORE.

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REPUBLICANS TOLD HIM THEY WOULD

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NEGOTIATE A REFORM BILL IF

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PRESIDENT OBAMA WORKED WITH THEM

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ON THE MATTER AND SPECIFICALLY

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IF HE AGREED TO PRIORITIZE

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IMPROVING BORDER SECURITY AS THE

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FIRST THING THAT HAPPENED.

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SO, PRESIDENT OBAMA DID THAT.

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HE SPENT HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF

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DOLLARS ON HIGH-TECH FENCING AND

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HE TRIPLED THE NUMBER OF

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INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS WHO WORKED

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ON THE BORDER AND HE DEPLOYED

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DRONES TO SURVEIL THE BORDER.

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HE JACKED UP DEPORTATIONS TO

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HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS PER YEAR.

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ALL TO THE HORROR OF MANY PEOPLE

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IN HIS OWN PARTY.

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BUT THAT’S WHAT REPUBLICANS SAID

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HE NEEDED TO DO IF THEY WANTED

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TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH -- IF HE

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WANTED TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH

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THEM ON AN IMMIGRATION BILL.

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AND SO AFTER HE DID ALL THAT, HE

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TURNED TO THESE REPUBLICANS TO

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SHOW THAT HE UPHELD HIS PART OF

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THE BARGAIN AND THEN THEY KILLED

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THE IMMIGRATION BILL, ANYWAY.

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EVEN REPUBLICANS WHO HAD VOTED

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FOR THAT EXACT SAME IMMIGRATION

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PROPOSAL JUST YEARS EARLIER, IT

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WAS THEIR OWN IDEA, VOTED

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AGAINST IT.

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ONCE PRESIDENT OBAMA BROUGHT IT

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UP AS PRESIDENT, EVEN AFTER HE

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FOLLOWED THROUGH ON HIS PART OF

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THE DEAL WHICH IS WHAT THEY SAID

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HE NEEDED TO DO IN ORDER TO GET