MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: Thanks for having me, Ed.

And remember, if you just repeal this law, you would be going back to the days when the insurance companies could hammer somebody for a pre-existing condition. In effect, going back to the days when the only way the insurance system worked would be to have somebody healthy and wealthy.

SCHULTZ: Well, the McClatchy-Marist poll just out says that 59 percent of the American people like the pre-existing condition, 51 percent of the American people want to keep the health care law. But as you brought it up, that 59 percent of the American people are with the pre-existing condition. So there"s a lot of good things out there, yet we"re being told by the right-wing conservatives that we"ve got to repeal this law because it"s a government takeover.

What are you proposing to states if they can enhance the bill that"s in place right now?

WYDEN: Ed, what Scott Brown and I are saying--and I think it"s something that progressives and conservatives can come together on--is that what works in Springfield, Oregon, won"t necessarily work for Springfield, Massachusetts. What we ought to be doing is creating the opportunity for folks to go to their legislature, advocate their own point of view.

And our proposal essentially lays out that if a state can meet the coverage requirements in the law, if a state has, for example, those critical insurance consumer protections, they can show they have an affordable plan, it isn"t going to add to the deficit, they can pass a bill and they can get the federal government, the Obama administration, to sign off on it. I think it"s something that can bring both sides together.

Conservatives have always said they believe in states rights.

Progressive folks have their ideas as well.

SCHULTZ: How did you get Scott Brown on board? He"s going to catch hell from the righties on this.

WYDEN: Well, first of all, Oregon and Massachusetts have been two of the states that have consistently been interested in innovation. As you know, we elected John Kitzhaber in our home state. He has been in the vanguard innovation.

In fact, my state was one of the first to say that you could use dollars for seniors that were earmarked for nursing home care for home care. We were always trying innovative approaches.

SCHULTZ: But getting Scott Brown on board, I mean, there"s going to be a lot of Republicans that are against this. Is this an admission that what they have done in Massachusetts has been measurably successful?

Your thought?

WYDEN: I"ll let Scott Brown speak for himself, but I think he"s taking the classic conservative position, which is we ought to empower the states, that the federal government doesn"t have all the answers. The federal government is not some repository of wisdom.

That"s what"s so attractive about our approach. There are philosophical underpinnings that will appeal to both progressives and conservatives.

SCHULTZ: Well, maybe Oregon and Massachusetts will lead the way.

All right, Senator. You"re on the Intelligence Committee. I want to get back to this TSA screening. I want to get back to cargo that is not being checked when it"s put on passenger planes.

Senator, why aren"t we doing that?

WYDEN: Clearly, Ed, this is a gap in our national security protections. This is an area where we"ve got to do more, and I think it involves airports, it involves ports.

I"m very proud that in my hometown, the port of Portland, is doing some innovative work center. Murray has made an effort to champion new approaches. But there is no question that this remains a gap in America"s national security protection at a time--can"t get into classified matters here because I"m on the Intelligence Committee. It"s a dangerous world.

SCHULTZ: OK. So--but we are inept in not screening cargo that goes on passenger planes. Is that what I"m hearing you say tonight?

WYDEN: The way I characterize it, Ed, it has not been the priority it ought to be.

Look, the fact of the matter is, we are doing a number of things better than we did on 9/11. Clearly, we have taken steps, for example, to track what"s going on with sleeper cells. That"s critically important. We have learned a lot about that since 9/11.

This is an area where we have a significant gap. There"s a lot more to do. It ought to be bipartisan priority for the next Congress, and I"m glad you"re identifying it on the show.

SCHULTZ: Well, "bipartisanship" is a real strong word on this, because safety is a concern to everybody. But it sure seems to me that the right-wing media in this country is focusing solely on the pat-downs and they"re not saying a damn word about the amount of cargo that"s going into the bays of aircraft of passenger planes.

Senator, good to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time.

WYDEN: Thank you, Ed.

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