Steve Wynn Blasts Obama

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Steve Wynn Blasts Obama

Casino mogul and Democratic donor slams president's handling of economy

This is a rush transcript from "The Five," July 18, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated

ERIC BOLLING, CO-HOST: You know, being a hardcore conservative, I could easily just come out and bash Obama for all his economic failures. Instead, let's let Steve Wynn, take a listen to Steve Wynn, a Democrat and casino mogul, talk Obamanomics.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

STEVE WYNN, CASINO MOGUL: I'm afraid to do anything in the current political environment in the United States. I'm saying it bluntly that this administration is the greatest wet blanket to business and progress and job creation in my lifetime.

Well, this is Obama's deal and it's Obama that is responsible for this fear in America. The guy keeps making speeches about redistribution and maybe we ought to do something to businesses that don't invest or are holding too much money. You know, we haven't heard that kind of talk except from pure socialists.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BOLLING: All right, Dana. Dems are jumping off the Obama like rats of the Titanic.

DANA PERINO, CO-HOST: I wish that Steve Wynn would just really tell us how he really feels and not hold back. If I were in the White House right now I would have thought -- ouch! I also think that if Steve Wynn had been replacing Obama with Republicans, you know, House leadership, because they don't want to go forward with Obama's plan, they're the ones that are the wet blanket on the economy, I think that Bob's friends would have gone out and bought ads so that they could run that to make sure they saw it.

And, instead, what they've done today is basically throw one of their Democratic supporters under the bus for saying what businesses have been saying behind closed doors.

GREG GUTFELD, CO-HOST: You know, now, Steve Wynn knows how I feel when I go to Vegas. I get completely robbed. So, now, it's kinda nice to see him feel bad.

But here's the thing. You know what it is, it's kind of buyer's remorse. He was never an Obama supporter. But his wife is. But it's like that feeling you got when you go buy a bag of new potato chips and you open it up and it's nothing but air. That's Obama about business. They opened it up now, they realize there's nothing there.

BOLLING: And, you know, Bob, Steve Wynn is right. Obamanomics is -- it may be socialist in nature, like Steve Wynn points out, but it's certainly not capitalism and it's certainly not working.

BOB BECKEL, CO-HOST: Really?

(LAUGHTER)

BECKEL: That's a surprise coming from you.

GUTFELD: At least he didn't bash Obama.

BECKEL: I'm only going to say this. I know Steve Wynn. He hires a lot of lobbyists in Washington, D.C., including Frank Fahrenkopf, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, to gum up the works to keep his casinos with tax breaks and everything advantage they can possible get.

What Steve Wynn says I could care less -- fanabla.

BOLLING: Easy there, Bob.

KIM GUILFOYLE, CO-HOST: Good luck with those comp'd rooms in Vegas.

GUTFELD: What does it mean when you do that, the fanabla?

BOLLING: I don't say what it means.

GUILFOYLE: I like the fact that he is being transparent. He describes himself as Democratic businessman. I think he's being straightforward. But when you are worth $2.3 billion, you can say whatever is on your mind.

BECKEL: Steve Wynn being straightforward? You talk about an oxymoron. Steve Wynn, straightforward? No.

PERINO: He's 512th or he didn't say, a magazine rated him as the 512th most rich person in the world. And I thought, that's like being the tallest pygmy.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLLING: But you have to understand, what he's talking about are businesses. And businesses have been pushing back. We have 14.1 million people out of work because businesses aren't hiring and they are not hiring for exactly the reason Steve Wynn points out. They don't know what taxes are going to look like going forward. They don't health care is going to look like going forward.

PERINO: I disagree. I don't think that businesses have been pushing back enough. I think that they've been passive aggressive. But they've been smart, right? You can't make a business hire someone. If they're concerned and they're uncertain, then they're not going to make decisions.

BOLLING: What are they uncertain about, though?

PERINO: Well, to your point. But I don't think that they've been pushing back enough. I think that in some ways, policy makers need to hear from more people like Steve Wynn or others, even if it's behind closed doors. It doesn't have to be something that we should do on Fox, but they need to hear it.

GUTFELD: Here's the interesting about it. This guy is a big Harry Reid supporter. So, what happens is -- this is what happens when a Democrat actually gets a taste of the liberal idea. It's OK to vote for it and then it starts affecting you. And, then, all of a sudden, he starts talking about fear of regulation, a fear of health care cost, fear of redistribution. He's no longer a Harry Reid supporter, he's a Tea Partier.

(CROSSTALK)

GUILFOYLE: See how the transformation occurs?

BOLLING: We put together. Take a look at the top three recipient of the casinos -- political campaign contribution. There it is, Greg. You're 100 percent right, my friend.

Senator Reid, number one -- $300,000. And that's well above the number two. And, by the way, all three of them, Kim -- what do they have next to their names?

(LAUGHTER)

"D"s next to their name.

GUILFOYLE: That is why the comments that he's making are so credible, because he's someone who's actually supported the Democrats and he has the courage to say, listen, I don't think that Obama is doing the right job here. And he said that he would in fact hire, wants to hire, but he has been prohibited from doing so by this administration, by Obama's policy, that he finds there's too much ambiguity. Like you mentioned --

BECKEL: Can I just say? I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at Eric because you know what? Let me just say --

(CROSSTALK)

BOLLING: Read the numbers, Bob.

BECKEL: Can I just give you a little political intelligence here? Both of the two recipients are from Nevada. Now, that's surprising because they're the big gambling supporters and they are his senator.

And the third one, Dan Inouye, excuse me --

(CROSSTALK)

BECKEL: Dan Inouye was the appropriations chairman. Yes, that's right. And each one of these, head of the appropriation committee, and the two senators from the home state. Now that's a big surprise.

BOLLING: Wow, Bob.

(LAUGHTER)

BECKEL: That he gives all his money to those people.

BOLLING: But look at the difference -- $304,000, $184,000, $126,000 and then it drastically drops from there, Bob.

BECKEL: Of course it does!

BOLLING: Greg, come on. You made the point, Harry Reid benefiting from --

GUTFELD: Well, here's the thing -- the real story here is Obama was supposed to be different. It turns out he's not. He's just another grad student with anti-capitalist tendencies. And now, you are hearing it from Democrats.

One thing that I'm interested about his wife is really pro-Obama. This has got to be a great dinner tonight at home when he comes home from work. What are they going to talk about? Because she doesn't have to deal with the consequences, because she's married to a billionaire.

She doesn't have to worry about the economic problems or rise in unemployment.

GUILFOYLE: Do you know what he's going to say? He's going to say, "Honey, pass the American Express black card."

(CROSSTALK)

BECKEL: Steve Wynn is going to go -- this is the first step of going where the wind is blowing politically. Steve Wynn is not a Democratic. He is a Democrat -- if Democrats are in power, he's a Democrat. If the Republican are in power, he'll be a Republican.

PERINO: That's not true --

BOLLING: He is blasting a Democrat in power. He's blasting Obama. What are you saying?

BECKEL: What I'm saying is he's probably betting like you that Obama is not to get re-elected and you're wrong and, of course, Wynn's wrong.

PERINO: And the truth is he's not alone.

BECKEL: No, I agree with you.

PERINO: You know that business, there are other people behind closed doors saying the same thing.

BECKEL: Absolutely.

PERINO: But what's interesting from a political stand point, Nevada is one of the states that can go either way in a presidential election. It's just three electoral votes. But President Obama and his team are counting every single one of those heads and they know they've got to win Nevada. I think it's in play for the Republicans.

BECKEL: Well, you know, it is in play for the Republicans.

The other thing is if you look at the traditional Democratic business givers, they moved over heavily to the Republicans. They did in 2010 and they're going to continue to go both ways this time. Obama is not going to have the solid business financial support he had because these people are businessmen and they're hedging their bets. What could you do?

PERINO: We agree.

GUTFELD: But they're scared. They're scared, that's why they're hedging their bets.

BECKEL: No, they're not scared. They are going where they think the money is.

BOLLING: Bob, they are scared. Do you see what happened today? One investor services, credit agencies, downgraded, almost downgraded, put five U.S. states on credit watch. Five American states are on credit watch as of today.

BECKEL: And if it was up to you or the Tea Party, the entire country would be on credit watch come August 3rd.

BOLLING: It could very well soon be, Bob.

BECKEL: Yes, that's great. So, let's take it from five to 50. We'll be happy. How about the territories? Maybe you can throw them in, too.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: People are making a connection to President Obama's policies to the economy not growing. And the problem is they might not blame Obama for the financial crisis. That still probably goes for the president I worked for, President Bush. But the connection about, wait a minute, he said it would be better, they're not getting better. That's what this Steve Wynn comment speaks to, I think.

GUILFOYLE: I agree. It's telling. Sorry, Bob.

BOLLING: Bob, last word. Fair and balanced.

BECKEL: All right. I'll just say that I understand, given the situation, why people are hedging their bets and moving away from Obama right now. But there's still another year to go. And I would guarantee you, when they pat somebody who is a Republican and they have to be looked at as a potential president, I think you're going to see movement back the other way.

BOLLING: All right. Or Obamanomics, epic fail, either one, you guys.

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