MSNBC "Hardball with Chris Matthews" - Transcript: Trade

Interview

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MATTHEWS: Well, Senator Mark Warner is a Democrat from Virginia. He  voted today in favor of advancing the White House trade agenda, after  voting against it on Tuesday.

Senator Warner, I have been making the case on this program -- I`m  going to make it again tonight -- that trade is a healthy debate for the  Democrats, including the progressives. This idea that all progressives are  against international trade, I`ve never bought, and the latest polling --  we`ll show the poll later in the program -- is pretty substantially pro-  trade among Democrats, and ironically, a bit anti-trade among Republicans.  They don`t like the word "free," apparently. Democrats love the idea of  free trade, at least intellectually.

So explain to me why this is such a bad beginning of the week for the  president with you folks, and
it`s getting to look a lot better today on  trade.

SEN. MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: Well, Chris, first of all, I don`t  think it was a bad beginning of the week for the president. What we did  yesterday, virtually all the Democrats -- and I`m very much supportive of  trade -- said if we`re going to move forward on a trade agenda, we also  have got to make sure that we have strong enforcement provisions.

At first, the Republican leadership wasn`t going to bring up the  enforcement legislation, as well. We got that guaranteed, passed it  overwhelmingly today, because let`s face it, I`m pro-trade, but I`ve also  recognized in the past we lost a lot of jobs in the `90s, textile and  furniture jobs.

We`ve not always done as good a job as a country enforcing our trade  laws as we should, and we want to make sure we`ve got the strongest  enforcement provisions possible.

MATTHEWS: Do you think we`ll get a bill?

WARNER: I think we`re going to get a bill.

I think that, clearly, with 95 percent of the world`s customers  outside of the American economy, with 40 percent of the world`s customers  in the countries that are involved in the so-called TPP around Asia, some  country is going to set the rules. And is it going to be us or is it going  to be China?

And, honestly, I believe this trade agreement has got stronger labor,  stronger environmental, stronger human rights provisions than any past  trade agreement. And sometimes I think what happens is, people distinguish  or fail to distinguish between countries where we have trade agreements,  where we have actually got a net surplus, for sometimes overall trade,  like, for example, with China, we have got a huge deficit.
 
But in terms of Asia, I would rather have us set the rules than China,  and I think the TPP will allow us to do that.

MATTHEWS: What do you make of this tussle between the president and  Secretary -- and Senator Warren? I think calling her Elizabeth, I don`t  know. I want to try to explain it. He was trying to show that they`re  personal friends. He calls Joe Biden Joe all the time. I don`t think it`s  a putdown, but what do you think?

WARNER: Chris, I don`t get it. He calls me Mark. I call him Mr. 
President.

MATTHEWS: OK. Well said.

Thanks very much, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia.

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