MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

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MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

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Now, joining me now is the House chief deputy whip, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. She held a town hall Monday night, and over 1,000 people showed up.

Congresswoman, a pleasure. Great to have you with us.

REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D), ILLINOIS: Thank you, Ed.

SCHULTZ: All right.

The president announcing late this afternoon that he‘s going to do the joint session of the Congress one week from tonight.

Is this a breakout moment for the president? How crucial is this address going to be next week? What do you think?

SCHAKOWSKY: I think it‘s very important, the fact that this is the very week that we‘re coming back to roll up our sleeves, to get health care; the fact that the president has already said we are going to get this done. And now I think he‘s going to have to reassure the American people that this is what they need and what they want to have done, and that we‘re listening to them.

They want health care reform. They want to know that the insurance companies will not be turning them away because they have a pre-existing condition. Imagine what that will do for Americans, to lift—to give them peace of mind and lift that burden of worry.

SCHULTZ: Now, what do you make of some of the comments in Politico, by his top adviser, David Axelrod, that they may be willing to give up on the public option and that‘s really not the most important thing? Do we have miscommunication here, or do you believe that‘s really where they‘re going to go and capitulate just to get a deal?

SCHAKOWSKY: Well, OK. Here‘s what I heard David Axelrod say. I‘m quoting from him.

He‘s confident that we‘re going to get a health care reform bill. “I think a public option will be part of it. I think the public wants to have that option, wants to see that kind of competition. And I think we will have that.”

That‘s what the administration has been saying. They‘re ready to fight for it. They‘re willing to fight for it. And I hope the president will say that next Wednesday.

SCHULTZ: Well, I think he‘s going to have to say it.

Here‘s the response from the Republicans today when they found out that the president is going to speak to the joint session of the Congress. This is Mr. Boehner, his statement referring the address.

“Obviously we want to hear what the president has to say, but the American people don‘t want a new speech. They want a plan. We need to scrap the Democrats‘ government takeover of health care and start over on real bipartisan plan for reform.”

Now, how I read that, Congresswoman, is that this is all part of the September stall. There is no government takeover.

I want you to respond. Does that sound like somebody who wants to do a deal with you?

SCHAKOWSKY: Absolutely not. And I think that the House of Representatives is going to pass a strong reform bill, that it will have a public option in it. And I think the time has come where, if the Republicans are only offering a clenched fist instead of an open hand, that the president—that we can do this without the Republicans.

We certainly did it in the House on the stimulus bill. They did it when they were in power. We can do it without them. And a time may have come that we‘re going to have to move ahead.

Look, they‘ve already said in the Senate 82 amendments that the Republicans offered were accepted as part of the bill out of their HELP Committee. And so it already is a bipartisan bill. I agree with that. That‘s not just window dressing. If they‘re going to so no at the end of the day, then I think we need to move ahead.

But you know, let me just say one other thing, Ed, about the news media.

SCHULTZ: Sure.

SCHAKOWSKY: When myths or lies are told, it is not just he said/she said. I like what you said. It is not true. It is simply a lie that this is a government takeover.

And I think that it really ought to be up to the media, too, not to just report, well, this is what the Republicans said and this is what the Democrats said, and this is what the president said. They‘re telling lies. And I think they need to be called on it.

SCHULTZ: Final point I want to make. Very clear with you, Congresswoman Schakowsky, will there be a fallback of Democratic support if the president waivers at all on a government-run option?

SCHAKOWSKY: Well, here‘s the thing. This is not about ideology. If the president really does want to hold the insurance companies, the private companies that have got us into this mess, then we do need to have real competition.

SCHULTZ: Congresswoman, that‘s all I need to know. I think you answered it. I really appreciate your time tonight. Thanks so much.

SCHAKOWSKY: Yes. Thank you, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Chicago.

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