This is a rush transcript from "The Five," November 21, 2013. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GREG GUTFELD, CO-HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Greg Gutfeld, along with Andrea Tantaros, Bob Beckel, Eric Bolling, and what's her name?
It's 5 o'clock and I have a cold.
(MUSIC)
GUTFELD: So, Juan Williams got a private meeting with the President Obama today. Woopty do! And Mr. Special is going to tell us about it in a moment.
But, first, according to Bloomberg writer Christopher Flavell, the ObamaCare mess isn't about ObamaCare at all, it's about the United States being a bunch of jerks. He says the recession has made Americans less caring of others. We see the needy becoming seedy. And that makes us hate ObamaCare more.
Apparently, this writer has never been to a church but the hack failed to see that it's the expansion of dependency that hurts the needy most, as government expands and opportunity dwindles, it's not self interest that explodes, but hopelessness. Only a moron would think a solution to a welfare state is more welfare.
But Americans' patience for this charade wears thin as priorities trump excess. And yet, we're still the most generous country ever.
Now, thanks to ObamaCare, the ruse that government intrusion equates compassion is dying out, as we embrace a world of endless choices, our government is left enforcing its favorite solution, more government, one choice.
Fact is nothing good ever comes from coercion or you wouldn't need coercion. And that includes charity, especially when those in charge are more charitable to themselves than to others.
I didn't sneeze at all during that.
Hey, Juan, are you there?
JUAN WILLIAMS, CO-HOST: I'm right here, Greg. I'm glad you're feeling better.
GUTFELD: Thank you. Actually, I feel terrible. But when I see you my soul brightens up.
Now, you got an email, an invite from the White House asking to see you last night. How long did you wait to respond? Did you play hard to get?
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIAMS: You know, me, I didn't even want to go over, you know? I mean, unless, they're going to like serve really good food, because I wanted to find out if he watches "The Five", right?
GUTFELD: Does he watch "The Five"?
WILLIAMS: Well, I didn't want to -- they told me, you know, don't go into that. Let's not stir the pot. You're lucky a FOX guy getting invited in here, you know?
ERIC BOLLING, CO-HOST: They told you that?
WILLIAMS: No, no.
(LAUGHTER)
GUTFELD: So, when you talk --
WILLIAMS: I tell you this, Eric, they miss Bob. Everybody said where's Bob?
ANDREA TANTAROS, CO-HOST: Yes, where was Bob's invite?
WILLIAMS: Yes, really.
BOLLING: But, Juan, I mean, we talked and said Juan is going to be on tonight and one of the things, all the things he can talk about and things he can't. Is there things you can't talk about and why?
WILLIAMS: Oh, because it was a background meeting so I can't directly talk about what the president, you know, quote, "said", but I can tell you what other people in the meeting said and what, you know, I had talks with other senior officials there, so I can give you a sense of what's going on in a way that obviously wouldn't be possible if you didn't get to talk with the big man.
GUTFELD: Well, when you talk to President Jarrett --
(LAUGHTER)
GUTFELD: -- did you find anything new about the health care bill and how it's going to unravel?
WILLIAMS: Well, you know, it's interesting. I was thinking that given all the pressure and all criticism coming, that these guys might be ready to fold, Greg. But, in fact, what you see is these guys are ready fight. I think they have a sense that right now, they have to rally their troops because the poll numbers have been bad for Obama. And I think right now, they're going to try to say to the Democrats and independents, hey, wait a minute, we've got a good product, we think this is going to work, we're not backing off.
TANTAROS: Hey, Juan, it's Andrea.
WILLIAMS: Hi, Andrea.
TANTAROS: Do you have a sense that they knew they screwed this up big time?
WILLIAMS: Oh, yes.
TANTAROS: And they -- you did? OK. So, they acknowledged they screwed this up. Did they weigh in on the employer mandate? Because as you know, that new study was released from AEI showing that 50 million to 100 million people are set to lose their health insurance next year. Did they weigh on that, any concerns from them about what they're going to do or how they're going to handle it?
WILLIAMS: No. I mean, their concern right now is with people who are getting those cancellation letters. Their worry is that there are people there who really can't afford the bronze plan, people who don't qualify for Medicaid, because they make a little too much. But at the same time, there are poor people and they may not qualify for the bronze plan.
What I'm hearing is they're saying, you know, like two-thirds of the people who get these cancellation notices, they're going to actually be offered plans that are better and they're going to get subsidies from the government, so they'll be able to afford them. About a third, another third, include some of the people who are going to have to pay a little more, younger, healthy people.
But then that smaller group that has people who are poor but not poor enough to qualify for Medicare is the one that really, really concerns them.
BOB BECKEL, CO-HOST: Hey, Juan, this is Bob. I'm sure they did miss.
But the -- and, by the way, the AEI, let's keep this clear, the AEI is a right-wing think tank, and it's about the last place I would go for any definitive numbers.
Leaving that aside, did they say anything about the legislation that the Republicans passed in the House?
WILLIAMS: No. I mean, look, this is very interesting, Bob. Basically the attitude was look the Republicans don't want to work with us. They are totally, totally opposed to anything. And they are delighting in our troubles.
But the fact is they think once the market gets stabilized, once everything is in place, once the insurance companies figure out how they are working with the new marketplace, they think the Republicans are after 2014 election may come around saying, yay, we have some things to fix and now we're willing to work with you.
But they've got to fix the Web site. They've got to make sure they've got a solid marketplace that people are attracted to and have a sustainable pool of people in the marketplace.
BECKEL: They're going to wait for the Republicans to help them? That's going to be a cold day in hell, brother.
WILLIAMS: There you go.
DANA PERINO, CO-HOST: But anytime the Republicans mention anything, the president immediately says he would veto it. So -- I mean, what more can the Republicans do at this point? The president made his bet and he's having --
BECKEL: Well, the Republicans made their bet. It was called the Ryan plan and everybody run from it like scolded dogs.
BOLLING: Can I take this one step further this analogy? I spent 15 or 17 years on the trading floor. I was there when Enron went down. They thought oil prices were going to go up, and they went down, they blew out.
I was there when Enron (ph) lost $8 billion they thought oil prices were going to go down, they went up. They blew out.
But I was always there because I knew when to cut a loss, Juan. It strikes me that President Obama cannot figure out that this is a loss. It's time to cut and run even if he wants to continue this law, start over. The American million won't kill him for that.
Start over. It would be better for him. There's none of that, though, from what I hear from. They're just forging ahead no matter what.
WILLIAMS: No, I don't think the White House feels that anything is about cut and run at this point. I mean, they feel that look like even if you were to just say stop right now, that if you point to various aspects of the Affordable Care Act, things like, you know, the discount for seniors on prescription drugs, the kids staying on until 26, consumer protections, insurance companies can't kick off people with pre-existing condition.
They say this law has accomplished a lot, but it doesn't get any attention because of the failure of the Web site and they know that's the problem.
So, what they are thinking is if they can grind it out -- to use their language -- grind it out and get over the next six to eight weeks things up to the point where they're sustainable, then they can come out and say, here's what's working, here's how we want to attract more people into this marketplace. And, hey, you know what those Republicans they don't have any alternative except sending you back to the existing status quo health care plan and they say most Americans will say, hey, that's not a great deal.
BECKEL: That's for sure.
BOLLING: I got to tell you something -- are there any money people back there? Are any people who can do the math? Because once the Web site is fixed, it's just the first part of this, the real problem is for the Obama administration are going to -- after the Web site is fixed, when they realize people aren't signing up. The deductibles are too high. The premiums are too high. Someone has got to step up and say, hey, we --
BECKEL: (INAUDIBLE), we want to let Dana ask a question.
BOLLING: Sorry.
GUTFELD: Golly.
PERINO: It's all right. Don't forget to answer, Juan.
WILLIAMS: No, I think -- you know, their attitude is there's a huge pool, 40-plus million people who are uninsured, Eric. In addition to people who have inadequate insurance. Those people are looking for something. They just have to have a Web site that's welcoming. They have to have people that make them aware that they got a good product here.
Once they do, they believe they can market. You know, it's a very interesting point. They say they know how to drive the people into that market. They are confident that they can go out much in the way they went out in the election with one vote.
GUTFELD: Dana?
PERINO: Right. So, this is a campaign. You know, the audacity of hope surely cannot be their strategy at this point. I mean, is that really what they are thinking?
Three weeks ago when they decided to blame the insurers, and that didn't work so well, now, they've realized that their fate is tied in with the insurers. What are they telling them that they would like the insurers to do to get through this?
WILLIAMS: Well, you know, it's interesting, Dana. That's exactly the point of this whole thing, is they had the insurers in, they had some of the insurance commissioners in yesterday, they had insurance executives in.
And what they are saying to them is, hey, you know what, you made a bet there's going to be a pool of people who are healthy and young, as well as those who are older and ill and we got make this work. We're in this together. You made a bet and we're going to help with you this bet.
They're going to have these kind of sustainability corridors and all, the risk corridors.
PERINO: You mean corporate welfare? You mean the bailout for the insurance companies?
WILLIAMS: I don't think they think of it as welfare.
PERINO: No, they call it risk corridor.
WILLIAMS: Risk corridor, and what they're going to try to do is get them to work with the administration to make it possible so that they don't have to raise premium. I mean, they are mad at the insurance companies right now with the cancellation letters, you know? They think they could have called those things, you know, simply renewals or change plans. But once they put out cancellation, it damaged the Obama effort.
PERINO: Would the government then assign a private company, what they should use in their marketing material?
WILLIAMS: Well, it's not marketing material because it was all about the change, the fact is that there's a lots of change roiling in the individual market for insurance anyway, every six months or so when most folks get a new policy.
But, you know, they didn't -- I think the White House was politically blindsided on this. They didn't know what was coming. They should have anticipated. They fail. And now, they are saying to the insurance companies, hey, you guys really didn't help us.
TANTAROS: Juan, it sounds like the White House is pretty full of themselves. I mean, it's bordering on obtuse at this point. It's a PR problem, if we just change the wording, the American people are going to be gullible enough to understand it's just a renewal not a cancellation.
Did they talk also about how they will get these young healthy people to sign up? Millions of ad dollars, Hollywood celebrity, how much more is this going to cost us to increase enrollment? I think there's a big price tag to get these young healthy people, right, a PR campaign?
WILLIAMS: I don't know. You know, I think a lot of that was already in place. They had people going out. Valerie Jarrett said to me, she had gone out to the West Coast and talk to some of us like, they had all these things lined up.
But what the problems with the Web site, you can't do anything. I mean, you can't sell that, right? So, it's -- but they have already made those plans and I think they're going to redouble them.
As I said, they want six to eight weeks to make everything at least to the point where it works. The average person can get on the marketplace and then they are going to go full bore and rebranding and reintroducing.
BECKEL: Hey, Juan, if this Web site had worked properly and women understood they could get subsidy from the government. The fact is, these
5 million people who are without insurance policies supposedly on January 1 are a very small percentage that are not going to be covered. They're going to find out they have government subsidy. They're going to have better plans than they had and they are going to have insurance.
WILLIAMS: Yes. And you know what, Bob? I think that the point from the White House today, this is the beginning of trying to say to people in the press corps, people like me, hey, don't think we're in the grave. We're coming back. We're fighting back.
But their point is people will quickly realize there is a good product and then, you know, that's where the rubber meets the road. That's where the real test is for this.
PERINO: How do they feel about breaking the promise of $2,500 reduction in premiums? I mean, do they think they have any responsibility for the costs going up? The deductibles going up?
WILLIAMS: You know, that's a good point, Dana. I mean, that's a great point, because one of the things that was, you know, hey, they are saying to the insurance companies, we're in this together. You guys need to take the long term view, if you don't sweep up every penny off the ground right now.
PERINO: Yes, don't make a profit.
WILLIAMS: Down the road, this is a five, ten-year plan.
BECKEL: They've been making their profits in God.
GUTFELD: Who, the insurance companies?
BECKEL: Oh my God.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: The profit margins are very slim.
BOLLING: Not only that. The profit margins are regulated.
GUTFELD: Yes, blame the government for that. Blame the government.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: No, you make the accusation, Bob.
BECKEL: Why is their stock price going up?
(CROSSTALK)
BOLLING: May I? They are going up because the Fed keeps pumping money into the stock market that's why they are going up. It has nothing to do with ObamaCare.
Juan, one of the things we should be talking about --
BECKEL: Then you should buy it.
BOLLING: -- you and I have been talking about quite a bit, are these deductibles. I'm looking at some of the deductibles for the bronze plan, the lowest level of ObamaCare plans --
WILLIAMS: Right.
BOLLING: Families, $12,700 out of their pocket, up front. In Michigan, in California, in Chicago -- in California $5,000 per person. People --
PERINO: Per family member?
BOLLING: No, per family member, $5,000.
BECKEL: Oh, come on!
BOLLING: Listen, I'm not making this stuff up.
BECKEL: Is that before government subsidies kick in?
BOLLING: Yes, it's before government subsidies kick in.
But here's the problem, while they're addressing the deductible piece of this piece.
WILLIAMS: Well, so what you get from the White House, Eric, is a sense that look, these people who right now are eligible for Medicaid are obviously going get in the market and we're going to get more people covered that way. Then, you're going to get people covered who are going discover that the current plan they have doesn't cover things like preventative care, you know, well care, check up, mammograms for ladies and all that kind of stuff and people are going to also qualify for subsidies who may not realize that they qualify.
They believe that for most people and I think you've probably heard this before, it's going to cost them just about as much as their cell phone plan. In terms of deductibles, again, all that happens once you're in emergency or medical care. It doesn't -- it doesn't touch on the preventative stuff, all the reductions in terms of prescription drugs and the like. That's the White House line.
GUTFELD: All right. We've got to go. I'm just excited because I can now get mammograms and a sex change.
(LAUGHTER)
GUTFELD: All right. Next on "The Five": is your neighbor an al Qaeda terrorist? Dozens of jihadists may be living in the United States as refugees, the video and details ahead.
Plus, more knockout games attacks have been reported overnight on both coasts. Teenage thugs assaulting strangers for fun, when "The Five" returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLLING: Well, welcome back. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Didn't have any enemies or any reason to believe that they would be looking or do anything to me. They shoved something into my thigh. I wasn't sure what it was. Hit some force to it. I wasn't sure if it was a knife or if it was a gun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: Yesterday, we told you about something called the knock out game where thugs are targeting innocent and unsuspecting bystanders. They pick a target and try to knock them out with a single punch. Overnight, three in Philadelphia, three more along in Philadelphia are reported and more attacks in Chicago and Milwaukee and Lansing, Michigan, an ugly game being played by cowards.
Last night, I played the devils advocate and suggested it may not be only black on white crime, but some people think this stuff is very racially motivated. Bob, do you think race is at the root of what's going on, this crime?
BECKEL: Well, I don't know the answer to this. I assume that everybody that has been caught on camera doing this has been a minority. But my question is, they caught this on crime -- I mean, on camera. How many of these people have been arrested, "A". And "B", are they entertaining the notion of hate crimes which they should if it's black on white crime?
BOLLING: I think in New York state, a lawmaker in Upstate New York is looking to make it a gang crime which carries up to 25-year sentence for it. Maybe something like that would help.
GUTFELD: Yes, I mean, if you look at it, I don't think there are any black victims from what I can tell on that. So, it definitely is racially motivated and the question is, the cowardice of the media and black leaders who will comment on anything but black on black violence or black on white violence.
There are two people that have agreed that this is an issue. Charles Barkley and Thomas Sowell, who you couldn't find two more different people on the planet agree that something like this, the violence that's going on these days is a problem and whatever drives the violence, I don't know what is it, if it's resentment, who knows -- I don't know why you have to change the description of crime to make it more punishable, like I don't like hate crime. Call it crime. Throw away the key.
BECKEL: You know, they really do, if you just hit somebody on the street, you're going to get a lower penalty.
GUTFELD: Which makes no sense to me.
BOLLING: I mean, technically, it's assault rather than a gang crime or a hate crime.
GUTFELD: Actually, if I go and punch a black man, I would get punished less if I punched a white man?
Wait. Do I have that backwards?
BOLLING: I think so.
GUTFELD: So, if I punch a black person, it's a hate crime but if a black person punches a black person, it's not.
BOLLING: Correct.
GUTFELD: Does that make any sense?
PERINO: Unless because he hates them. That's why a hate crime --
GUTFELD: How do they know I hate -- what if I love somebody and I hit them because I love them? That's worse.
TANTAROS: That's why I think they stay away from it because it's tougher to prove, right? The hate crime. So, just make at any time crime. They should make an example out of these kids and send a message that they're not going to tolerate it.
But you're right. The media ignores it. So, big great journalism has a great piece out noting that, Eric, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, all stay away from the story. Now, again, if this were a group of white kids going and beating up minorities this would be leading the major news networks.
But African-American leaders aren't weighing in. The news media not covering this.
This is a serious issue. A lot of people are very scared. They are emailing be careful in New York. Do something about it. They should be prosecuted with the full force of the law.
BOLLING: And spreading now.
D, thoughts?
PERINO: Well, that's something that we touched on it a little bit is more media attention of it going to make it happen more often?
So, I think CBS News had a report on it two nights ago. We did something.
We did it a lot. All over the Drudge Report, social media and everything and there were increased incidents overnight and on both coast, on the East and West Coast.
BECKEL: You think that's related?
PERINO: I don't know if more attention --
GUTFELD: In certain areas, they tell -- the police will tell media not to report on teenage suicides because teenage suicides make teenagers think about suicides.
BOLLING: Until the punishment.
GUTFELD: Yes.
BOLLING: I will tell you this morning on the way to school, dropping my son off and I said, have you seen this knockout? He didn't hear about it.
I said, what should you do about it? He literally said, if it's a tough punishment people won't do it any more.
TANTAROS: If that was the headline, these kids got caught, they've been prosecuted. They're in prison. I think it would deter them --
GUTFELD: You know what else would deter?
TANTAROS: Actually doing this again.
GUTFELD: You know what else would deter? The possibility that the people you're going to punch have a gun.
BOLLING: Thank you. That silhouette sound bite, that guy fought off these guys with a gun.
BECKEL: That raises the question here, why -- it would be nice to report they picked some of these guys up and punish them severely. Why don't the police and prosecutors get out there and do it? Have we talked to any of these police department and what's going on?
GUTFELD: Yes, we talked to the NYPD and they said it's not a trend in New York.
TANTAROS: Well, if you talk to the Chicago police, they'll tell you off the record as well, they have a hard time going after these troubled civil teens because civil rights raise hell and threaten them with lawsuits. And so, that's why a lot of police in Chicago are scared to do their jobs.
They have flash mobs.
BECKEL: But this is a different story, though.
TANTAROS: But, Bob, they're doing the same type of thing. I mean, these gang mobs are destroying property and businesses in the Windy City and cops are scared. They don't want to be sued.
BOLLING: All right. So, can we do this very quickly? They know the tease in there to go around.
But very quickly, in Kentucky, the FBI found pictures, they have been following al Qaeda members, terrorist members that were released in to society, I think by accident.
Greg, your thought?
GUTFELD: First of all, you got to congratulations to the reporter, James Gordon Meek (ph), for uncovering this thing.
But it goes to the point, what if your neighbor is a terrorist? What goes through your head? What goes through your head is the potential for embarrassment and being called a racist for racially profiling or doing anything, and I think that's the window that allows refugees to come in and do what they can because people are scared of actually reporting anything.
BOLLING: Your thoughts, Dana?
PERINO: I'd say all the more reason to have a strong and robust NSA program that can provide information to local officials. So you can prevent terrorism.
GUTFELD: There you go.
BOLLING: Bob?
BECKEL: I don't know how it happens. I mean, how do these people get in?
That seems to me that's what you have to go after right away.
BOLLING: They literally said there maybe several hundred.
BECKEL: I know. The question is how do they get in here?
TANTAROS: Well, and they can just come right over the border. That's why when they're trying to race these immigration bills through, why don't they look at the current system that allow them in? And what's worse, Eric, these guys were in public housing on public assistance. It's embarrassing.
PERINO: And they're on ObamaCare.
TANTAROS: They probably could get ObamaCare.
BOLLING: All right. We're going to leave it right there.
Coming up, Democrats have now recruited pro-sports to push their climate change B.S. Is anybody else tired of all the politics creeping into our football, baseball and hoops?
As for our liberals favorite sports, soccer? Knock yourselves up.
Plus, Ron Burgundy with an ode to the crack-smoking mayor, Rob Ford.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
BOLLING: We'll be right back.
BECKEL: Who is this guy?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TANTAROS: Well, we all know about the separation of church and state, but is it time for the separation of sports and politics? New reports out of D.C. show that Democratic politicians are recruiting pro sports leagues to promote climate change awareness.
So, from gun control to the name Redskins to Bob Costas to President Obama, it seems the line between sports and politics is becoming too blurred.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
BOB COSTAS, SPORTS ANCHOR: "Our current gun culture", Whitlock wrote, "ensures that more and more domestic disputes will end in the ultimate tragedy, and that more convenient store confrontations over loud noise coming from a car will leave more teenagers bloodied and dead.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I were the owner of the team, and I knew that there was a name of my team -- if it had a storied history that was offending a sizable group of people, I'd think about changing it.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
TANTAROS: Now, as a sports fan I would personally like to watch the games without the politic, thank you.
So, Bob, we see politics enter the sports arena from gun control, to the president weighing in saying if he had a son, he wouldn't want him to play football. Now, climate change. I mean, I know you believe in climate change.
But don't you think it should be kept out of sports?
BECKEL: No. I mean, I think that -- I think it's dangerous as -- I mean, it's not exactly an analogy but when you use sports teams which you should to promote breast cancer awareness week, or you do things you think are ravaging this country, and anyway you can get it out, get it out.
TANTAROS: Eric, what do you think? I don't think they should do the breast cancer awareness stuff. I think they should just keep it strictly sports.
BOLLING: I'm with you, Ands, I'd keep -- sports is sports. If I were a Republican I'd run on this, ObamaCare and they are using our sports teams to promote climate change.
Breast cancer is proven, Bob.
BECKEL: So is climate change.
BOLLING: No, it's not -- it's not.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLLING: You are cranky again tonight.
BECKEL: No. I happen to believe -- you don't believe it. I believe it's the single most potentially great threat to this country.
BOLLING: Do you know anyone in this country that doesn't believe there's a thing called breast cancer or a phenomenon called breast cancer? No.
Would you say that there's a good percentage of the population who disagrees with the climate change?
BECKEL: No, I don't think. I think majority of them agree with me.
(CROSSTALK)
TANTAROS: -- because the Ravens were paid $130,000 to promote ObamaCare.
It seems like more and more sports is just a political forum.
PERINO: And money well-spent. Way to go, government. At least with breast cancer, there is a tangible and direct benefit that helps everybody, every family. And that part of it is awareness and it's raising money for fundraising.
So, awareness especially to tell your mom, cousin, grandma, whoever it might be, to go and get it checked because early detection is the most important thing.
If you are going pull the sports teams together, I think there are about a thousand other things you can have them do that would have a direct benefit like obesity, which we saw with the Let's Move challenge. Hunger.
Education. Veterans with PTSD that had traumatic brain injuries.
And the long term unemployed, let me tell you where this is coming from -- big money, tech gurus that got a bunch of money from the government to feed their funds, like Al Gore, they are now trying to figure out a way to push their agenda, the sports team is the next one. This is all driven by money. That's why the Democrats are holding this tomorrow.
TANTAROS: But, Greg, you could argue anything. What about autism awareness? What about all these charities? Why breast cancer over autism.
I thought about the one instance when the government got involved in politics, did get involved in sports, was with civil rights, that made sense, agree with that so black players could play. But now it's becoming like Dana says about money. These guys have enough to worry about.
GUTFELD: It's not politics, it's liberal politics. On the left, Bob, sorry I have to say the left, politics has been defined as personal, which means it is designed to expand and intrude in all parts of life where as conservatism stays out of your life, you're free to do whatever you want.
As a liberal, you believe it must intrude and can only survive by piggybacking on the achievement of others because left doesn't make anything but bad art. And so, therefore, they rely on this excess of others to push their message because they are incompetent. Not you, Bob, you're competent.
BECKEL: What kind of are does the right do?
GUTFELD: It's a good question. They should do more art. But David Mamet, great artist.
Should a wall be placed between politics and sports? There should be a wall between politics and everything. Every where politics invades it poisons and corrupts except for talk shows.
TANTAROS: I don't like the pressure it puts on the players, the NFL, if they don't do it they look bad. Then they are not against breast cancer.
I think it's too much.
(CROSSTALK)
TANTAROS: All right.
PERINO: Like their private jets.
TANTAROS: Another lawmaker asked for forgiveness ever being caught buying drugs but stopped short of stepping down. So, should U.S. Congressman Trey Radel be allowed to keep his job? House Speaker John Boehner was asked about it. We'll tell you what he said, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PERINO: So another day another politician with a major scandal threatening to end his career. This time it's Republican Florida Congressman Trey Radel. He pleaded guilty yesterday to buying cocaine and just entered a program today for substance abuse. Radel addressed the problems last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TREY RADEL (R), FLORIDA: I'm not going to sit here and make excuses for what identify done. I've let down our country. I've let down our constituents. I've let down my family.
I'll take a leave of absence, taking responsibility that I need to own town what in need to do, get well and come out of this as a better man. I'm struggling with this disease but I can overcome it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: So, the congressman is going to take a leave of absence. But, Eric, that he should step down?
Actually, let's listen to Speaker Boehner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: As you all know, I believe that members of Congress should be held to the highest ethical standard. I think at this point, Mr. Radel, the issue is between he and his family and his constituents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: So, Eric, do you think that he should go ahead and resign or go through the treatment and see how it goes?
BOLLING: I think two years ago I would have said resign and as I've said on here recently that as I'm getting more into this libertarian thing, look, we've lost the war on drugs. I think we got to stop fighting the war on drugs. Let him deal with his treatment.
If he doesn't think he can function properly, he should certainly step aside and let someone else be an interim congressman and he'll come back when he's ready. And as far as what he's doing with his family, John Boehner, I agree with him completely.
PERINO: Greg, he said he's an addict, that he's had problem like this for a long time. How do you make a distinction or do we not about casual drug use and somebody who is an addict who might not be able to perform their duties in the job they were elected for.
GUTFELD: I believe if it has an impact on your professional life, and if it has an impact on your personal life. Other than that who cares.
I don't -- he says he's let people down. You've only let people down if you were hard on people who also used recreational drugs. He called the war on drugs naive but he wanted to reform the mandatory minimum. So, he's not a hypocrite, I guess.
But he also was for the bill for drug testing of food stamp recipients, which means therefore he should be tested because he's also a beneficiary of our money. He gets paid.
And everybody has got an addiction. As you can tell, Boehner is tanning gel. So, I don't know.
I don't think he should lose his job.
BOLLING: And --
GUTFELD: I don't think he should lose his job.
Everybody gets a chance. Life shouldn't be ruined because you're trying to find some relief or oblivion from this.
TANTAROS: He did let his drug dealer down, though.
GUTFELD: Yes, it's true. No, he overpaid.
PERINO: Do you think he should resign?
TANTAROS: I do. I would think, look if he's the manager of the local blockbuster video terrific. The lawmakers can't be law breakers, right?
Like where do we draw the line?
So, as long as coke possession is a felony, I believe that it is, I think he should do the right thing and step down. Now, if he doesn't do it, it should be left up to his constituents.
But at some point, where do we say okay that's enough. They make the laws.
They can't just break them and then keep their job?
BOLLING: The amount he had wasn't a felony, if I'm not mistaken. I believe it was --
PERINO: Bob, when you watched him because you can have a sense of these things do you think that this is a shakable moment for him, the public humiliation and heading in to rehab might work for him?
BECKEL: I like to think so. I mean, it's a long shot. I don't think he ought to be forced to resign. I think there's no rule in the House that says he has to.
The history of the House of Representatives and Senate are ripe with people from Wilbur Mills who got drunk in public and jumped into the tidal basin with Fanne Fox, and Teddy Kennedy who got picked up from drunk driving and was taken home by the police and let off.
Now, this guy clearly is an addict. You read these stories. He's been buying this stuff on a regular basis. Anybody who suggests themselves to that part of town in Washington who believes that they're not know why they are there, is somebody who is taking big risks and big risks are taken by addicts.
He also has a drinking problem. Let's give him a chance to see fit works.
I think the chances as with most people getting you straight are probably one in five, at least --
TANTAROS: Look how numb we are. There's a history of inappropriate behavior. I mean, don't they have the duty to even avoid the appearance of impropriety? But they all do it, so we all go, Kennedy did it, and this one did it, so --
BECKEL: The difference is that I believe, as many do, this is a disease.
So, a lot of people have diseases. You don't want to throw them out because they have a disease.
PERINO: So, Congressman Radel says he believes in faith, family and redemption. And we wish him the best.
All right. The fight to free an 85-year-old American who has been held in North Korea for many weeks. Bob has the details on that when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKEL: Yes, there's an American hero being held overseas and needs our help. North Korea has again detained an 85-year-old Korean War vet Merrill Newman for more than three weeks, according to his son.
Newman was visiting in the country with a friend was about to go home on October 26 when a Korean officer boarded his plane and took him off. No one knows why.
Eric, let me ask you. There have been -- this guy was with his friend, who was another Korean War veteran. There have been a number of Korean War veterans who've gone over there to look at, you know, places where they fought. Is there something about this that, this guy that we should look at differently? I mean...
BOLLING: You know, I don't know. We were kind of chatting about it in the break.
So here's the deal. He signed up with the Chinese tour company. Went into north Korea. You have to know there's going risks. You must be told
-- part of the signing off process is, "Hey, we're not sure we can get you out once we go in," right? There has to be a risk.
He took the risk. It's terrible. He's a war veteran. We should do everything we can diplomatically to get him back. But man, I've got to say...
BECKEL: How much of that do you think, Andrea, the State Department ought to say to people don't go. I don't care what this tour is or how they put it together, what they tell you, how many have been successful, it's just -- you shouldn't be there.
TANTAROS: I think that's a great point. I think that we should say stop going to these places, and if you do go, then that risk is on you, because now our security has been put in jeopardy. We have to do diplomatic moves to try and get him back. It puts us in jeopardy.
It's like the Iranian hikers. Remember that story?
BECKEL: Yes.
TANTAROS: If you're going to go hike can you do it in upstate New York or in the Rockies? Do you have to go to the border of Iran? It's just -- there's so much risk. You wonder what are these people thinking?
BECKEL: There's been a lot of -- Dan, there's been a lot of people who have been detained in North Korea who are missionaries, who are there should be no borders as far as they're concerned. This is not exactly equivalent, but they've detain those people, as well.
PERINO: Two weeks ago, in North Korean -- they executed, did a public execution of 85 people, many of whom had been watching western movies or they had possession of a Bible. It is a despicable regime. It's filled with innocent people who are being manipulated by a maniac.
And here's a question. Where's Dennis Rodman? This is why you don't have D-list celebrities go over to crazy regimes like that and try to do diplomacy. Because now he has totally screwed things up for the State Department to try to get this back safely.
BECKEL: Speaking of screwed up countries, Greg, in Iran there is now
-- it's been years since a U.S. pastor, Saeed Abedini, has been kept by the Iranians. And there now is -- fortunately, his family has been allowed to visit him. But he's still not getting the medicine he needs.
There is now a worldwide tweet effort on behalf of him. And apparently hundreds and thousands or maybe millions of people are contacting the -- or tweeting into Iran.
You think that has any hope of doing anything?
GUTFELD: I don't know. Ultimately, all these people become are political chips that they use to bargain for whatever they can get. In this case it will have to do with sanctions, I imagine.
I just want to add, the North Korea thing about Rodman, he launched a vodka. And he talked about how he -- hopefully, Obama and Kim Jung -- whatever his name is will drink it. I hope he drowns in his vodka. He's such an ass.
But do you know why this guy -- do you know why this guy got arrested in North Korea? Because the officers there are going, "Why would you come here? We want to leave and you're here. You must be a spy. Who else would want to come to this hell hole?"
BECKEL: Let me say one thing. The Iranians, as typical of so many Muslim countries, although they consider themselves not necessarily a Muslim country, but nonetheless, the fact of the matter is they have been taking pastors -- pastors of all things, people who want to spread the word of God in their faith, and you continue to do this. And we continue to protect the Muslim faith in this country, which we should do. Why don't you give our people of faith, of the cloth, a break and let this guy go?
Because you're punks, you're cowards and you're afraid of hearing the word.
"One More Thing" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUTFELD: It's time for "One More Thing." I'll start it off. Dora Killier (ph) is a weather presenter for -- in France, and she said if the France qualified for the World Cup in soccer, she would run naked for everyone to see. And she did. This is her running naked through a field.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: That really happened?
GUTFELD: That is her. And I love the fact that they're showing the weather while she's running. They decided that they still had to do the weather. That's how they do the weather in France.
TANTAROS: You know what they proved?
GUTFELD: That's it.
BOLLING: Did she really run naked, though, through the...?
GUTFELD: Yes, she did. She's carrying a black door.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I see.
GUTFELD: They can't tell us that. Andrea.
TANTAROS: You should be able to tell if it's cold now with the black door.
GUTFELD: Black door.
TANTAROS: OK. On Conan last night, Will Ferrell continued to promote "Anchorman 2" by covering Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend" in honor of the Toronto drug-addicted mayor. Look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL FERRELL, COMEDIAN (singing): Well, everybody's working for the weekend.
(speaking): That's right, Rob.
(singing): Everybody wants a new romance. Everybody's going off the deep end.
(speaking): Don't do anything stupid, Rob.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TANTAROS: Very funny.
GUTFELD: All right, Dana.
PERINO: Well, I don't have any music for this, because I don't know what happened. Joshua couldn't find opera music. But that's a problem.
But this is a great idea. In Australia, there was some folks that own a McDonald's there that are getting irritated because all these dudes were coming in and annoying everybody. So they started playing opera all throughout the McDonald's. And guess what?
TANTAROS: It worked?
PERINO: No more loitering. Everybody went away. Isn't that a good idea?
GUTFELD: Not really if youth buy McDonald's.
BOLLING: Sales drop.
GUTFELD: It's an interesting point. Thank you for that -- Bob.
BECKEL: On a little bit more serious note, the Afghanis and the United States have been working, trying to get a status support agreement, which means what the United States' responsibility will be in Afghanistan after 2014.
There's a tentative agreement been reached, but of course, Mr. Karzai, who was brought in by the United States to become president of that country and that is now going to turn it over to the chieftains, the chief warlords, for their approval.
You know, at some point, you people just ought to simply say, "Thank you." Just say "thank you" and let us have whatever status support agreement we want, because we're tired of being told what to do by a bunch of Fourth Century warlords.
TANTAROS: Bob for secretary of state.
BOLLING: Actually, that guy, who's become, probably, a billionaire off our...
BECKEL: Sure. Yes, and his brothers...
PERINO: But Bob, you were for us talking to the Taliban warlords.
BECKEL: No, no, I was -- not the Taliban warlords. This is the non- Taliban warlords.
TANTAROS: There's a difference.
BECKEL: Actually, Karzai's brother makes most of the opium.
BOLLING: Can I do this very quickly? I've got to get this in here.
Take just one minute to say congratulations to my son, Eric Chase. Check it out, guys. Can you pull up the blue screen of -- look at this.
PERINO: Oh, my God.
GUTFELD: I can't believe this.
BOLLING: Chemistry, A; Geometry, A; U.S. History, A; English, A.
We'll work on the...
PERINO: Que peso.
BOLLING: We'll work on the Spanish. We'll work. He made the honor roll. Great job, Eric Chase. Hard work and great job to the local high school. Public school, by the way.
TANTAROS: Bumper sticker? Are you one of those guys with a bumper sticker?
GUTFELD: Now, if he ever does anything bad, are you going to do that as a "One More Thing"?
PERINO: No, if he does anything bad, will you run naked through the streets with a black door?
BECKEL: Please don't. Please don't.
BOLLING: I think that would be fun. All right.
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