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- Joan, meet Joan.

2
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- How do you do?

3
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It's nice to have 
another named compatriot.

4
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- Yes, definitely.

5
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- I'm thrilled that the 
pipeline seems to be building

6
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with local and state 
candidates coming forward.

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The frustration for me for 
the last number of years

8
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has been the fact that 
where you are lucky enough

9
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or unlucky enough to live

10
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makes it possible for 
you to have things

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like education and health care

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or less education 
and bad health care.

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So how, based on what you're 
seeing around the country,

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how do we make the 
powers that be understand

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that for our society the 
way we live in this country

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and how we govern.

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It's important for the 
citizenry to be well-educated

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and healthy so that 
they can contribute

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to the success of this country

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through their taxes 
through their information,

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et cetera, et cetera.

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- [Man] What do 
you do about that?

23
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- You're right, 
it's state to state.

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It was a shame that the 
governors were given

25
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the states were given

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a choice on whether to 
expand Medicaid or not.

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And many didn't.

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Many who needed it most 
as a matter of fact.

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- Well Peg you're in 
a state that had then

30
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and has now the most uninsured 
people in the country

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did not expand Medicaid.

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Didn't even create 
a state exchange.

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- Right, unconscionable, 
it's unconscionable.

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But most voters in 
Texas I hate to say it

35
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have higher 
priorities than that.

36
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- Well the elections have 
consequences argument

37
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probably applies here.

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- Yeah.

39
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- You know, you don't 
like that decision,

40
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you have to put different 
people in office.

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- Right, and I think 
a lot of it is,

42
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it's not so much you 
know that we're gonna

43
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be able to persuade Trump voters

44
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or Greg Abbot voters but 
particularly focusing

45
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on Trump voters to 
change their mind.

46
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Some of them will 
at the margins.

47
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It's really focusing 
on the numbers

48
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of people who don't vote.

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The people who sat 
out that election

50
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it just breaks my heart.

51
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And here in Texas, you 
know, there's a sizeable

52
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Hispanic community that 
doesn't participate

53
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the way the same 
community participates

54
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in California where I'm from.

55
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It's gotta be turning 
people out to vote

56
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but also I'm really 
high on this strategy

57
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of focusing on state elections

58
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state assembly state senate

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because that's where 
you have a conversation

60
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at the more local level 
with your neighbors.

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You fly the flag 
of I'm a Democrat.

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You fly the flag of 
universal healthcare,

63
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better funding for 
our kids our schools.

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You have more direct 
conversations.

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They're not mediated 
by people like me

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you know or other talking heads.

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I think it allows 
for the rebuilding

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of a community by community 
Democratic infrastructure.

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- But gerrymandering 
you would acknowledge

70
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is an obstacle to what 
you're talking about.

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- It's an obstacle but in 
many states, in the red states

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Democrats are competing on a 
totally unfair playing field.

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In Virginia they got 
two thirds of the vote

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but they only got 
essentially half the seats.

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But they're gonna have 
to go back in 2019

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they have these tricky 
off-off-year elections.

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But the good thing 
about it is on the years

78
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that they have these 
state delegate elections

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they're the only game in town.

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There's also New Jersey but 
it's been a bluer state.

81
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So anyway, you gotta go 
into those red districts

82
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that are sliced against you.

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But as Ed and I were saying, 
people are doing that

84
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and it's happening, those 
conversations are happening

85
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and I don't think it's 
entirely anti-Trump.

86
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I think it's people, 
it's somewhat anti-Trump,

87
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it's pro these candidates.

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They've picked some 
really good candidates

89
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fit for the district 
and they're talking

90
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to people at the local level.

91
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I'll stop.

92
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- Great, Commish?

93
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- Hi, I was volunteering 
for the Clinton campaign

94
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in North Carolina for the last

95
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month of the campaign. 
- Where were you?

96
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- I was in Charlotte 
and I checked you in

97
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issued you your 
media credentials

98
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(laughing)

99
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at the Davidson College

100
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event for Tim Kaine. 
- For Tim Kaine!

101
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- And I went, oh my 
God, it is Joan Walsh!

102
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- [Joan] Oh my God!

103
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- Totally geeked out.

104
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But my question is this, 
kind of an offshoot

105
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of what Joan was asking.

106
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Will we ever get past a place

107
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where you live decides how hard

108
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somebody really fights 
to get your vote

109
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to run for President?

110
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In the purple state 
- Oh.

111
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of North Carolina,

112
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- the candidates were just 
- I just sat there because

113
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- trippin' all over each other 
- I could see everybody.

114
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in terms of surrogates, 
West Wing cast and actors,

115
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the President, the First Lady.

116
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- It was on both sides 
in terms of red and blue

117
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to try and win your vote.

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- [Joan] Yes.

119
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- And blown off were anybody 
in a blue or red state

120
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if you didn't have money. 
- Right.

121
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- Have a nice day.

122
00:05:03,736 --> 00:05:06,706
Do we envision a day that even 
if it's not a purple state

123
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that people will all be treated 
like they're a purple voter

124
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and they will be wooed 
and asked for their vote.

125
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- Well the only 
thing I would say

126
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to add to what Karen is saying.

127
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We have Democratic 
candidates come to Texas

128
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and they drag a sack 
along the ground.

129
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- With money, for the money!

130
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- And then they take it 
out of state to elect

131
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people in other states 
- Exactly!

132
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because they've 
given up on electing

133
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Democrats in Texas. 
- Right, right.

134
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- But there are wealthy 
people and that's been

135
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a complaint forever and you 
know I'm gonna be honest,

136
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I don't see it 
changing anytime soon.

137
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As long as states you 
know are deep deep red

138
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and deep deep blue there's 
not going to be a whole lot

139
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of conversation here unless 
there's the perception

140
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of the possibility 
to tilt that state

141
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or to have really important 
Congressional candidates

142
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who maybe somebody 
would come in for

143
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but the way it's set up 
now it's so expensive.

144
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It's so time-consuming 
you know they spent

145
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a lot of time in North 
Carolina that they

146
00:06:04,397 --> 00:06:06,899
maybe should have spent 
in Wisconsin and Michigan

147
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but my daughter was the 
regional in Greensboro

148
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so I was happy they were there

149
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but yeah it's tough.

150
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- Okay, Dan.

151
00:06:18,211 --> 00:06:19,779
- [Man] Are you gonna predict 
what the Supreme Court

152
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might do on the gerrymandering?

153
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- I don't know.

154
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I really can't tell.

155
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- [Man] Are you optimistic?

156
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- I'm never optimistic 
with this Court.

157
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(laughing)

158
00:06:30,990 --> 00:06:34,460
This Court finds ways to do 
things you know that I think

159
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are undoable or that legal 
scholars that I respect

160
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think the law won't allow that.

161
00:06:41,868 --> 00:06:43,569
- It's interesting when 
people talk about what

162
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Trump has accomplished 
in the first year plus

163
00:06:45,738 --> 00:06:47,740
and before the tax 
bill it was basically

164
00:06:47,740 --> 00:06:50,009
Neil Gorsuch and then 
an empty piece of paper.

165
00:06:50,009 --> 00:06:51,511
- Right.

166
00:06:51,511 --> 00:06:54,280
- But in a lot of ways getting 
Gorsuch on the Court will be

167
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the ball game for 30 years. 
- Yes.

168
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- Right, don't you think?

169
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I mean it affects so many things

170
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we don't think about or 
don't see, and you may

171
00:07:02,522 --> 00:07:04,757
like that or you may not like 
- Right.

172
00:07:04,757 --> 00:07:06,459
that but you can't argue 
with the impact of it.

173
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- No, I mean it's terrible 
what Mitch McConnell did

174
00:07:09,495 --> 00:07:11,397
keeping Merrick 
Garland from a vote.

175
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It will go down in 
history as one of the most

176
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corrupt acts 
- Right.

177
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of a Majority Leader 
it just was wrong.

178
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- He basically took Barack Obama

179
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he cut his term by a quarter. 
- Right.

180
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- He said you're only 
President for three years.

181
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- Your fourth year 
you can't appoint

182
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a Supreme Court nominee. 
- Right.

183
00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:29,248
- My favorite part of last year

184
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was the Republicans 
complaining that the Democrats

185
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weren't giving Neil Gorsuch 
a hearing quickly enough.

186
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- Yeah.

187
00:07:34,454 --> 00:07:35,888
- It was like really, 
dude, seriously?

188
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I found that like weapons-grade 
chutzpah to be complaining

189
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about what. 
- They got it they got it.

190
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- It was five minutes ago.

191
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We have to stop and give 
Joan a big old hand.

192
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We'll get her off 
to the airport.

193
00:07:46,265 --> 00:07:47,733
So good to have her with us.

194
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(applauding)