MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript

Interview

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Joining us now, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Democrat from Illinois -- Congresswoman, thank you for talking with us tonight.

REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D), ILLINOIS: Thank you so much, Ezra.

KLEIN: Were you surprised at after the president changed the rules the Catholic universities and hospitals didn`t have to pay for the coverage, you still have Republicans widen the fight on this, that they said it should be all employers should get this exception?

SCHAKOWSKY: I think it is a colossal, political miscalculation on their part. You know, 57 percent of Catholic voters think that this pragmatic compromise was a really good idea, and only 29 percent of Catholic voters opposed that.

And, you know, this is birth control, and I think if these Republicans, mainly Republican men because now even some of the Republican women senators are changing their mind or coming out in favor of this
policy, if they want to bring that on as a political issue, I say: do, bring it on. Because virtually 100 percent of Americans not only embrace the idea of birth control but actually use birth control. And I think that
this is such an incredible mistake.

KLEIN: Well, your point about the Republicans and we should say Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe have broken with the line is interesting because the politics of this -- the way it`s playing in the
different coalitions, appears to have completely reversed in the last week. A week ago, you were seeing splits across the Democratic coalition. And now, you`re seeing splits among the Republican one.

Aside from Senators Collins and Snowe, in the House -- are you seeing any movement of similar frictions?

SCHAKOWSKY: Well, first of all, let me tell you that even before the compromise, the majority of Americans were in favor of organizations, you called them religious organizations, but we`re not talking about churches,
houses of worship. We`re talking about hospitals, charities, universities, that are Catholic affiliated or religious affiliated. But their employers that employ janitors and orderlies and nurses and teachers, and that those individuals ought to have access to contraception was always majority view.

And I have to tell you, Ezra, quite frankly, what we saw were some of the men talking about how this was about religious freedom, when in fact it is not about religious freedom. This is about access to contraception. I think the White House, the resident, came up with an absolutely brilliant compromise and it is accepted by the Catholic Hospital Association, by Catholic charities and now, there`s just the Republicans and the bishops
who are saying no to it.

KLEIN: And then, how do the politics of this play out going forward? There was a report a few weeks ago by the group Third Way, and what they argued that the independents who broke for the president in 2008 were
overwhelmingly young female and in many way secular and this has -- this has been the third major event this year that has put but control and reproductive service, seemingly in threat. There was the original effort
to defund Planned Parenthood, then there was the Komen effort, to defund Planned Parenthood, which is a huge story just a couple weeks ago, and now this.

With the president and Democrats in general attempting to reactivate those voters in 2012, it sort of seems like the movement that is so skeptical of birth control has done it for them.

SCHAKOWSKY: I think you`re right. And in fact, I was looking at the number on Catholic independent voters against 56 percent, so that is men and women believe that this is the right policy. I think they are treading into very politically dangerous waters, if they want to take on these issues that are so important to women and as you say, young people.

The issue of contraception, any controversy about birth control is done. This is the year 2012 and I think a lot of particularly young voters are absolutely astonished that this would be controversial.

And so, I think that they have actually helped us, if they want to double down on this issue, and say that this is immoral in some way. The debate in the United States of America is over, people want access to birth
control.

KLEIN: Illinois Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky -- thank you so much for joining us tonight.

SCHAKOWSKY: Thank you, Ezra.

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