Romney's Welfar ad is a lie and Who will not be the VP

Wow yeah. -- drivers show brought you by network capital funding. Joining us now. As he does every week you. Brought you by the car guys car buying made easy. Nice to have you back -- -- it was great having you in studio last week major. It was a lot of fun and and as you read the weather just now I thought when I was in studio with you you read a weather. And we thought it was going to be a great day that would depend where that night and it poured rain this week. All right. All -- -- -- right you were unprotected from the -- so it was a great -- -- oh great I spend it but I remember. Well whether you're changes. Like didn't I've been. So you since you're a serious political guy have to ask you this question when football gets outlawed for being too violent. Do you think Americans will gladly sit around on Sunday afternoons watching women's volleyball. I've beat all the all Europe you know -- great stuff. Tremendous -- well that. But. Then that's right I'm. That's my ground and I'm standing tremendous currently. -- -- journalists always wanna take that middle ground not an opinion but let's play Mitt Romney going after. Barack Obama. On and he is loosening up on welfare requirements this is the dad did Mitt Romney ran. -- that soccer. Six President Clinton and a bipartisan congress helped end welfare as we know. By requiring work for welfare but on July 12. President Obama quietly announced a plan to cut welfare reform. By dropping work requirements under Obama's plan he wouldn't have to work and wouldn't have to train -- job they just send you your welfare check. And welfare to work goes back to being -- welfare. Mitt Romney will restore the work requirement because it works Mitt Romney. And I -- Some Gregory's -- to make NL the president did a response said the 8090 of that -- handy forces. See this and Mitt Romney claiming the president could end welfare to work requirements. NBC dollars in dubious and they're -- its faults. The Washington Post says the Obama administration is not removing the -- work requirements and all the states have to increase the number of people moving from welfare to work. In fact Romney ask for even more flexibility when he was governor. Romney are flexible on welfare. And the truth. Are there the two ads or what's your take on them Major Garrett. First at all. There is an issue here. But it's not about to Alter the larger issue news. State their requested additional flexibility because people in their states. In this in Utah and Nevada both let a Republican congress by the way. -- artwork or so longer unemployment benefits have been exhausted. And they need some type of -- system. It would like to -- but can't find means which to do it are going to be regular rules of the 1996 welfare law. So they would like some flexibility. You not have to ask them to. Either -- -- work requirements or for training -- work requirements. So they can provide some assistance. To get them through these very difficult economic times larger issue here is persistence. Hard economic times which is I think you and apple would agree and the polls reflected a legitimate national action. Who -- the Rodney and says something that is false. Witches under the residence. Read written rules for welfare reform it is under as this one. Scenario. Possible that it opener. Good to create a system or ask for permission to create a system where you just gotta check for doing nothing. And they can create their system and somehow. You did not. Deceptive language to talk to Department of Health and Human Services into approving there that is theoretically possible. Under the old rules aren't rent them and I under the -- HHS said it would administered at its next to a possible. So it is theoretically possible that this could happen. But it what the president said he would do is that what the president has ordered to be done. Newt Gingrich on Anderson Cooper three as a group -- sixty last -- -- gravity axed. A group to support this is what what happened. And if I put that at together I -- says. This is something that might be possible. Not that something is absolutely going to happen. Okay all of us -- they've responded very quickly because they know any -- as attack that suggests. He's undermining Bill Clinton's welfare reform -- welfare reform itself. Is potentially damaging -- on fighting result very crest. I always have a from a these fact checks because the fact checks and it's not illegitimate I mean this what you're doing and it's fine you're taking the language and seeing if it lines up literally. But when you have a president who's hostile to the idea. -- on the record as saying he didn't like what happened in 1996 with Health Care Reform we know the Democratic Party didn't want it to happen we know that Bill Clinton was leveraged into it. For political reasons and that he opposed it. So it and it's been hugely successful which earlier -- Democrats. And then you have this happened just before the election. And you have Republicans running around saying you know what happens as soon as these unemployed people. Apply for these training programs. Then there are no longer unemployed people according to the stats so it's a way to fix statistics but even the what you described it sounds like mission creep. It's people with a problem BE. Being allowed to apply for program -- in order to get something that will help a problem -- Right so he's not a welfare problem it's an unemployment problem. Right right for permission to do mission creep for welfare and where a political moment where. The big challenges how do we stop mission creep on the part of social programs. Well and then all of -- I think all of that's a legitimate which. Our guys I said this there is a legitimate issue to debate here and I think the biggest one is. Persistence. Grinding unemployment. That has required people to exhaust all their unemployment benefits which were expanded five or six different times under President Obama and congress. Object and rumpled and different different parties having majorities. And that's no longer happening. And the east he's -- people still need some sort so all the assistance. In many cases they are there. And the children and he's in two cases Republican governors want it to be responsive. And remember most governors in America right now -- Republican not Democrat. And most state legislatures in this country are Republican -- -- all because of via a step back election when he turned. So. But -- one of our problems is even Republicans I mean there's really what gave birth to the team party. Is he can't trust reply if Republicans are sitting there in their sank immediately -- scam this federal program to get more money let's write a letter. And see if the last. That's one of the things we have to fight back yet so you know it's legitimate to pick over the language the intent here is to. Undermine restrictions in the health -- -- in the welfare law to allow more people to get into that right. Yeah I think -- that is that's a fair assessment that bad if you can if you can. As it would what's been accepted to. And this goes into the complicated side of the federal bureaucracy. Seeking waivers first on the well reform is not news. Waivers were built in the process of world or form from the time the law went into effect in nineteen. A 96. And they've been consistently used to create what Tommy Thompson did and Wisconsin as a -- welfare reform. Processor emotional when he was governor use a lot of different experimentation. And don't have rigid one size fits all method of moving people from welfare to work right so labors are going to be part of that. It's been noted that in the 200529. Republican organized government and the Republicans asked for waivers one of the waters. It Romney. So that waivers itself or not. De facto evidence. Of undermining. Welfare reform or the larger pursuit of moving people from welfare to work. Their methods by which states can use their circumstances. To operate under the restrictions the federal government to require some kind of work work training so it's not just simple. Means or use our unemployed you do -- -- you -- In perpetuity. Remember welfare reform the big city and those -- there was two years after two years you were dark. That was -- yeah. And it was remarkably successful and you noted that that's. Brought Obama opposed sit at the time he has since I remembered for covering this in the campaign 20072008. Because he's so rarely ever. Suggested he ever -- anything wrong in his entire political life. But he did say in several enemies at the right it was a -- -- his biggest public policy mistakes was supposed to offer. They're work much better than he thought it was he was long to -- obesity catastrophic. So we won't record there as well. So I'd -- I don't deny there's a legitimate issue and something worth discussing I'm not -- this. That little book about all the things it was set in motion by the 1994 election all the public policy changes that resulted from. Recruitment and excellent congress and I have a whole chapter on while that report and what always astonished me after that tremendous success. An enormous public policy success what the great one of that -- That even Republicans who worked so hard to put it together. It very little. 22. Going unprotected and legislatively detected in the years after that it's just sort of kind of died away nationality coming back I think the very. So our political context. But he. Underlying. Policy and keeping it toward being lectured constantly we got -- -- -- Republican we're sort of lackadaisical about that as well. I never understood war. Well probably they didn't care that much in real I'm like you're saying you know Republican governors let's get over the VP thing. The I suspect some of the speculation is guided by leaks or people getting pundits go out there -- from the Romney campaign sending pundits out. Two spread disinformation. Just to make sure excited about the VP -- And suspect you know causing their -- Speculation it's gonna happen this week or last week or next week and all the while it's gonna work out like a normal VP pick perhaps and run right after the convention. But anyway who are do we have any sense of who's actually on. The little tiny list of serious considerations view and part two is we here at the way you find this out is by tailing people's hairdressers. And -- there Wikipedia pages. And checking to see if there's any changes to their normal behaviors or you're out there right now doing espionage or anything like that. I am not you know I'm not belt because. It can happen. It's gonna be historic for about or five days. And it's going to be -- Romney and Obama. You -- it mean that I'd never get it all back excited. About. The the sort of I would do it like being manufactured drama of the vice presidential. Because it's the only thing that chicken and unpredictable right now everyone is sort of intoxicated by the idea of -- breaking story. We we like Alex right National Journal about a different but we're not. You know checking. -- -- very departing small twin engine plane leaving a seventeen different airports around America trying to put some important somewhere. To have apartment immediate over the so I think -- people have reported. I agree. Based -- electric also last week and other. Army major Euro sell is is breaking apple that if he tried the other a year or something. Yeah Gregory and a little mismatch there tried again. So I think that final three are. Brought workable. Rob more important if Minnesota Tim Pawlenty. Rob Portman you all wired I would I would at a port saint Bobby Jindal of Louisiana several urgent. So originals in the minutes. I think so yeah. I'm not saying he's at the top of that for personal -- strike and you -- One Jindal B I understand the appeal he's young he's Indian descent tees would really provide some contrast visual. That would be very constructive towards. Cracking. The image of Romney is the super white man institution yeah. But he's from a state that is and it's particularly intriguing and -- Not a swing state by any -- by any means at all no but he would be an outsider. If Romney the only I the only reason I think Robin would not think Rob Portman can remember -- -- -- -- saying he was gonna take Portman. Declaring the that would happen waved back and consult our -- on a -- and stand out there. The only people that -- we wouldn't pick Portman. It because he's afraid of taking to Washington DC insider. Well even more so he's he's a bush guy. -- is that enemy's ability and part of the bush budget. You know that. Well. That's what Democrats always say and I've had a lot of conversations that are important about this and he said look when I was best director for George Bush -- one year I was budget director for one -- one budget cycle the density here it was -- -- it was a 114 billion dollars. Also act that that a potential president. Any day any week any part of the country and -- debate -- -- -- -- He would have any fear about that I don't think collectively Romney does either any news US trade rep. And the president saying -- manufacturing -- is a huge part of our economic -- so. I -- -- -- entered criticized Rob Portman has been US straight -- when he was budget director. Instead it was -- fourteen billion dollars. Not one point portrayed as it is now. So I think there's some bad -- they believe there there's ample contrast there that works there there's. -- so much that to turn that debt. Or you can at least like that you would draw -- but I think if they local Portland and are looking for someone. -- it was an outsider will be compare other governors records Jindal and Pawlenty is not even close. -- never achieved the majority vote in Minnesota probably written governor twice. He had some -- education reforms but only at the margins. Of those people who look at his record and governor of Minnesota find it to be politically -- But from a policy perspective rather flat land Bobby Jindal is that it is it true -- -- former Louisiana has made and great things. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- I did and did tremendous work after BP. Oil well explosion -- the good guy who is precious. I don't think is politically a -- policy positions so -- in and makes those. Because he he would actually be -- if political star who you could talk about an innovator. And somebody takes an opportunity interns it's something good that's interesting now Paul Ryan as a VP pick. While we're away or -- ago. Okay Paul Ryan is intriguing because everybody's been afraid of Paul Ryan. Because of his pushing of this budget. That yes Democrats like to demonized because it's responsible. In its desire. To tackle the overspending the explosion of social programs why would Mitt Romney wanna go down that path. I'm not suggesting he would I think all right -- who's been lower on that list but. I think -- therefore a couple of reasons he has credibility with conservatives although there are some Tea Party conservatives because you go to experts are. I'll besides he hasn't been as rigid in his budget doesn't reach currency -- pass that went all. But the other or Ron Paul warns there are some and that that's actually part of that are not in love with. All right but he does create a lot of genuine conservative enthusiasm. He's useful he's considered to be one of the -- better more adept. More Agile minds among Republicans on all these. -- -- -- And -- a tremendous and sort of on questionable desire to be enthusiastic about these policy clash he loves to mix that he has no real desire. To debate people face to face and put his ideas -- of course. In wasted on the dust and the other thing years. The Romney campaign better understand they're gonna on the -- the Brian budget no matter what -- -- operative Republican idea on how to deal with our fiscal situation. So run he's delivered a one way or the other refusal to all the way it and it's yeah opponent and I believe it let's sort of a great debate about this any program ticket. Actually been a lot of Republicans did Romney wins election to make Paul Ryan is Treasury Secretary. Or give him very deeply involved its actions or -- And it goes in the Republican leadership on the outside and -- -- Paul Ryan if you wanted to becoming head about the ways and means tree element of the people line there there are other options were all right there are many many other options. Major Garrett yankees are always great talk with you from the National Journal will see you next week. Thank you major major is in studio in -- last week so it you know I got spoiled. Them for a whole hour coming up we have. Breasts. To talk about we have behind to talk about. Stay tuned to 680 don't York.