Richard Schiff, Emmy-Winning Actor From ‘West Wing,’ On His Covid-19 Fight | The Last Word | MSNBC

Richard Schiff tells Lawrence O’Donnell that Covid-19 “wants to beat you. It gets into your system and it feels like wherever you think you can get a breath in, it’s going to go there – and that’s where the cough is going to go. It wants to stop you from breathing.” Aired on 11/26/2020.
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Drawing upon his experience as a former chief of staff on the Senate Finance Committee and as an Emmy-winning executive producer and writer of "The West Wing," Lawrence O'Donnell examines the compelling and impactful political stories of the day. O'Donnell convenes diverse panels of guests, including a variety of politicians and cultural voices, to offer unique viewpoints and perspective. In his signature style, O'Donnell highlights the latest news developments and offers his take on the political stories driving the national conversation.

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Richard Schiff, Emmy-Winning Actor From ‘West Wing,’ On His Covid-19 Fight | The Last Word | MSNBC

66 comments

  1. Schiff, I’m expecting you to return to THE WEST WING for a reunion show. I want to see Toby teaching political science at some small University. You must live.

  2. Yes I am very proud of our health care system in Canada, we pay for no hospital stays and everyone is treated equally and treated with dignity and respect. Nurses and doctors here are so loving and caring, and I am not surprised at Richards comments because they are well deserved and I thank him for that.

    1. Great Canada health care system shout out there.

      I live in Canada and I am black. The only place I’ve ever felt real racism is in Canada hospitals. Not everywhere but 3 or 4 times in the last 3 years is 1 too many.

      My friend who is studying Nursing says they talk about this in their books and classes.

    2. @hung well It’s not division. It is true. Each person has their experience. Let’s not invalidate others just because we haven’t experienced it.

    3. @Mohamed Hirsi Each person has different experiences. I’m 36 and black. Lives in the U.S. for 10 years. Never felt racism in hospitals in U.S. Been Canadian for 3 years. At least 3 or 4 times, I’ve actually been treated poorly and its the first times I actually felt racism. Once I had to leave the hospital cos I felt unsafe.

  3. Happy Thanksgiving Lawrence. So glad to see Richard getting better. Please make sure that President-elect Biden sees this video.

    1. Did not know Republicans were so wealthy they could pay hundreds of thousands of dollars after catching COVID-19 that they believe is a hoax

  4. The key word and word of the day is ” common sense” .

    Life is a gift from God and its precious, so, take good care of yourself people..

  5. covid-19 is terrible. The worst hours are from 2am to 5am, it is suddenly like breathing through a straw.

    1. @Technological Darkage Nope. Not a conspiracy theory spreader.

      I may have predictions but I only deal in what can be proven.

      I do predict they will be burning their red MAGA hats in public ceremonies to repudiate Trump.

      Their shame in supporting Trump will drive them to do it.

    2. @A Writer I have an alternate perspective based on history, which as we know is either a wonderful predictor of the future, or absolutely irrelevant to the present. As Albert Einstein said “the empty stomach is a terrible political advisor.” The COVID-19 deaths are significant, but I am more worried about the economic fallout, and I think you should consider this too: half of the people at food banks right now are first timers. That is only going to get worse in the coming months, probably. I can’t see the future, but it looks unlikely any help is coming soon. I was laid off but got another job… and now there’s a new rise in cases. I wonder how many people are experiencing something similar? The Trump supporters vote almost entirely for economic reasons, which although the US is where it is at now because it still hasn’t slowed the pandemic, a lot of these people already doubt the existence of this plague. And the economy is probably getting worse: these people are going to support trump with greater loyalty. My guess is by the time Biden takes office, things are going to be awful, and Trump is going to use that.

    3. @Technological Darkage that’s life man can’t survive everything .. the damage from the economic loss is gonna be far far worse and will last a decade or more

    4. @A Writer na in the long run there will be a civil war again and the country will split .. see there’s half of us that don’t wanna be the next california

  6. West wing got me through the dubya years. That was my alternative universe. Thanks and am happy you are recovering.

    1. Biden will not be president. Oh what a shock you’re in for. Trump will be declared the winner. You heard it here!

  7. President Joe Biden please pick an aggressive DOJ..please let the DOJ pursue all criminal case against the clown and his cronies ..specifically the 8 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia…..

    1. @Antonio Chester Oh you mean the Saudi’s who made 9-11 happen, who financed Bin Laden, who created the problem in Afghsnistan, who screwed the U.S. for oil all those years? Those allies?

    2. Yes, Saudi Arabia is our ally… The Obama administration sold billions of weapons to them… And the Bush administration before them… And so on.

    3. 9/11 is just a little more complicated than saying the Saudis made it happen. But I’ll take that over Rep. Omar’s “some people did some things” crap.

    1. @absoftitanium How do you know he has residency status? Does that mean he will become a Canadian? More nonsense! He should pay out of his own pocket through his own private insurance plan not by our own public health.

    2. @Dan Kahraman It’s not stupid. It is civilized and mutually beneficial from a public health prospective. A number of categories of non-Canadian citizens have access to Canada’s universal healthcare. My guess is that Richard Schiff falls in to one or more of these. Here’s the list :
      Permanent residents
      Foreign nationals in the process of obtaining permanent residency in Canada
      International students with study permits
      Foreign workers with work permits
      Protected persons and refugees
      Clergy members (minister, priest, rabbi, etc)
      Temporary residents (special cases)

    3. @urbanimage Unfortunately you maybe correct. With the demands Covid-19 will place or is already exerting on our health care system these categories place undue burden on Canadians. These people did not earn it and the bureaucrats certainly didn’t envision a pandemic…BUT being in the pay grade and position of responsibility they enjoy they should have!

  8. Richard I’m glad that you’re OK. You were excellent in West wing, I’ve watched the whole series several times. Everyone is rooting for you😀

    1. Without universal healthcare in the UK, I wouldn’t have survived covid. I have been in and out of hospital several times since March with covid related symptoms.

    2. @ladyviva Take it easy my friend. One day at a time. I am 66 with C.O.P.D and have been inside since March,but worth it. Hope you are back to full health soon

    3. and Australians must resist efforts to take out health-insurance. It’s an effort by corporations to turn health into another profit-soaking commercial industry. We don’t want to be reduced to the American situation, do we?

    4. We really do need to get our act together. We have an upside down value system, which permeates the professions as well. Big subject.

  9. I hope and pray that Richard makes a full recovery. And, as a Canadian who lived in the States for 10 years I can attest that it’s not until you get sick and have to go to the doctor that you realize how insane it is that Americans do not have universal healthcare – and do have the repugnant notion of medical bankruptcies and rationed healthcare based on wealth. How does the country with the biggest economy in the world NOT cover everyone of their citizens with healthcare?

    1. It is so hard to argue or explain to some Americans how screwed our health care here. I do not mind sharing to all Americans young and old Medicare seniors are enjoying. It is not perfect but at least it is affordable. I know Medicare can be fixed to look like what Canada, Australia and other developed countries got.

    2. I personally know a Canadian who lives in USA that was waiting in the parking lot for 2 hours before his pain got so Severe he has to go in the Hospital because of the deductible. It’s so insane. Here is Canada, we just go if we don’t feel well. That’s why we pay tax. Of course healthcare system can improve the efficiency just like any institution. But everyone here will be care for if you get sick.

    3. @Freedom Life , I know that cuz my nephew and his family live in Canada. He could not understand why I worry every time I go to ER here in USA. I know it is not zero for us here. There is always a bill. It is not huge if you are in Medicare like me ( senior) but a bill is a bill whether it is big or small. I hope Biden will really fix the ACA for every single American to enjoy and worry free of any bill. Right now I am paying $130+ a month. It should be free in going to the doctor, free in hospital, and free in medication. The only thing any Americans need to worry is just the small monthly fee.

    4. @Freedom Life “That’s why we pay tax” – precisely. Americans seem not to realise that they are the employers of government, and are entitled to be the chief focus of tax spending.

  10. I am an expat who lives in Rome. I am married to an Italian and have a residency but unlike my husband and my children I am not an Italian citizen. Yet here in Italy healthcare is FREE for everyone, whether citizen or not. My sister came to visit us from America and had a life-threatening medical emergency. She had surgery and was hospitalized for 3 weeks. She paid $0, I mean not 1 cent. In America it would have bankrupted her, ruining her life. America is a barbaric country based on exploitation, racism and usery.

    1. US citizen here. I did not realize the Huge numbers of ignorant/stupid people in my country until Trump, and that they are willing to ignore science and call COVID a harmless flu when all the evidence to the contrary. Any lie he tweets, they believe.

    2. @Carol Ro Amen! That is what I told my husband. Trump exposed the stupidity of lots of Americans including himself. It is so embarrassing.

    3. It’s not free – it comes from *your* tax-money. The difference is you don’t have to pay twice – through taxes and again up-front.

    1. It takes a very long time to recover & it appears that as people recover, it is also transmissible when they cough, a healthy person can pick up the virus. It seems to be very contagious like a pneumonia. People who are ill & recovering should stay at home and self isolate, both for their recovery and also to avoid transmission. Sadly, the body has no immunity, so if you have gotten it, you can pick it up again and go through the symptoms all over again.

  11. Now SCOTUS has approved religious spreader events, saying that the government of NY cannot close churches or places of worship with public health edicts to fight the virus. You will have added nearly 1,000,000 cases in 5 days to get to 13,000,000 cases by the end of the day. Almost 2300 deaths just yesterday. Herd immunity is genocide.

    1. We do worry here in USA cuz it is never free from any bill. A bill is a bill no matter how small or big it is.

    2. We would have higher taxes in this country for “free Healthcare “but they tax us to death with every single thing now so I don’t know if there’s ever a way to fix it but….

  12. Very happy to hear the Richard Schiff is getting better and I wish him and his family a full and speedy recovery.

  13. We Canadians don’t even receive a bill after you discharged from the Hospital. I think we should just to show how tax dollar at work. It puzzles me why American so afraid of universal healthcare which all the developed countries have and the health outcome data is much better than US for the cost. Why anyone want to worry about the finance when they or anyone they love is beyond my understand. Mind you, I don’t understand why anyone listen for 5 minutes of Trump and think he would be a good leader either.

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